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

Hickey, 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 Hickey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hickey in America

Hickey is the 1206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hickey surname appeared 29,350 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Hickey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hickey 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 Hickey

The surname Hickey is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó hIcí, which originated in County Cork, Ireland. This name derives from the word "iceach" meaning "hospitable" or "generous." The name first appeared in historical records in the 12th century.

In ancient Irish manuscripts, such as the Annals of Inisfallen, the name is spelled Ó hIcí or Ó hIcidh. The earliest recorded bearer of this surname was Donnchadh Ó hIcí, who lived in County Cork in the 13th century.

The Hickey surname is closely associated with the Duhallow region of County Cork, where it was particularly prominent among the ruling families. The name is also found in other parts of Ireland, including County Kerry and County Limerick.

One notable bearer of the Hickey name was Tadhg Ó hIcí, a 15th-century Irish poet and historian from County Cork. His works provide valuable insights into the culture and history of medieval Ireland.

In the 16th century, the Hickey surname appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Monarchs, a collection of official records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. This indicates that the name was well-established in Ireland during this period.

During the 17th century, the Hickey family played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War in Ireland. John Hickey, a colonel in the Jacobite army, was renowned for his bravery and military leadership.

In more recent history, notable individuals with the Hickey surname include Thomas Hickey (1741-1776), a member of the Continental Army who was executed for mutiny and sedition during the American Revolutionary War, and Joseph Hickey (1830-1907), an Irish-American politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Chicago from 1900 to 1904.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hickey

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

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 Hickey 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 Hickey 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 Hickey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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