Find out how popular the last name Hawley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hawley.

Hawley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hawley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hawley in America

Hawley is the 1993rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hawley surname appeared 18,100 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Hawley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hawley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hawley

The surname Hawley is of English origin, and it is thought to have originated in the county of Dorset during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old English words "haga" meaning "enclosure" and "leah" meaning "woodland clearing," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a fenced or enclosed clearing in a forest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hawley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Haluelei" and "Halwele." This indicates that the name was present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Haueleye" and "Hauleye" in various medieval documents, reflecting the linguistic evolution and variations in spelling that occurred over time.

One notable early bearer of the surname Hawley was John de Haulee, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230. Another early reference is to William de Hawele, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Hawley gained prominence in various parts of England. Sir John Hawley (1545-1616) was an English landowner and Member of Parliament who served as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Thomas Hawley (1570-1638) was an English divine and author who served as a chaplain to King Charles I.

In the 18th century, Joseph Hawley (1723-1788) was an American patriot and lawyer who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and the Continental Congress.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hawley include Henry Hawley (1679-1759), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament, and Michael Hawley (1638-1699), an English clergyman and academic who was the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Throughout its history, the surname Hawley has been associated with various place names, such as Hawley in Hampshire, Hawley Green in Staffordshire, and Hawley Hill in Buckinghamshire, further reinforcing its English origins and geographical connections.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hawley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hawley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hawley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hawley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hawley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hawley, please contact us.

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