2000
#4,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.53
Rare Last name
Hoag
Derived from Middle English, referring to a careful or prudent person, or from a place name meaning "enclosure".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,368 Americans carry the last name Hoag. That puts it at #5,242 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,519 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoag surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,519
Census rank
#5,242
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,425 bearers of the surname Hoag in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5242nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoag, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoag
The surname HOAG originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "hoch," meaning "high" or "elevated," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a high or elevated location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HOAG surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Hoge" is mentioned in a document dated 1289. This suggests that the name may have originated in this area of northern Germany.
In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Hoge" and "Hoghe," appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, indicating the spread and adoption of the surname over time.
The HOAG surname can also be linked to several place names in Germany, such as Hohe, a municipality in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Hohenau, a town in Bavaria. These place names likely influenced the evolution of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence.
One notable individual bearing the HOAG surname was Johann Hoag (1585-1647), a German theologian and author who served as the rector of the University of Rostock in the early 17th century.
Another historical figure of note was Andreas Hoag (1628-1684), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the 18th century, the HOAG surname gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals bearing this name playing important roles in the country's history. One such individual was John Hoag (1745-1826), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable American with the HOAG surname was Ebenezer Hoag (1766-1842), a Quaker minister and abolitionist who was active in the anti-slavery movement in the early 19th century.
The HOAG surname continued to spread throughout various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, including science, politics, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoag
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoag, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoag bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hoag surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 5,831
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 239
- Two or more races3.1% · 199
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 74
- Black or African American0.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoag
Hoag appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,752
-70 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 424 places
2020
#5,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,425
-327 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,749 | 6,822 | 2.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,173 | 6,752 | 2.29 | -70 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 424 places |
| 2020 | #5,242 | 6,425 | 2.15 | -327 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 69 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hoag surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,173 | #5,242 | -1.3% |
| Count | 6,752 | 6,425 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.29 | 2.15 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoag bearers went from 6,752 to 6,425 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,173 to #5,242.
FAQ
Hoag surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoag?
Name Census estimates that about 7,368 living Americans carry the surname Hoag. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,519 residents.
How common is Hoag?
Hoag ranks #5,242 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,425 people with the surname Hoag. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hoag.
Has Hoag become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoag went from 6,752 recorded bearers to 6,425. That is a decrease of 327 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,173 to #5,242.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoag?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoag, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hoag in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (5,831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoag appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hoag (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hoag mean?
Derived from Middle English, referring to a careful or prudent person, or from a place name meaning "enclosure". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hoag (2.15 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Hoag?
Want to know how many people have the last name Hoag? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.