2000
#10,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Hocking
Derived from a place name meaning "a settlement in the hills" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,136 Americans carry the last name Hocking. That puts it at #11,077 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,297 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hocking 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hocking with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,297
Census rank
#11,077
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,735 bearers of the surname Hocking in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11077th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hocking, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hocking
The surname Hocking has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hoccing" or "hoccing-leah," which referred to a meadow or clearing where hawks were kept for hunting.
During the Middle Ages, the name Hocking was predominantly found in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in the southwest of England. These regions were known for their rich hunting grounds and the practice of falconry, which may have contributed to the name's association with hawks and hunting.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hocking can be found in the Assize Rolls of Somerset from 1268, which mention a person named Robert Hocking. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Devon from 1332, where a John Hocking is listed.
In the 16th century, the name Hocking appeared in various spellings, such as Hockinge, Hockyn, and Hokyng, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time period. The surname was also associated with several place names in Devon and Cornwall, such as Hocking Green and Hocking Hill.
Notable individuals with the surname Hocking include:
1. Richard Hocking (c. 1619-1677), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the vicar of Slapton in Devon.
2. William Hocking (1768-1835), an English engraver and copper-plate printer known for his landscapes and architectural prints.
3. Silas K. Hocking (1850-1935), a British novelist and minister who wrote over 100 books, including novels and religious works.
4. David Hocking (1923-2015), a British actor and playwright who appeared in numerous television shows and films.
5. Amanda Hocking (born 1984), an American writer known for her self-published paranormal romance and young adult novels.
While the surname Hocking has its roots in the southwestern regions of England, over time it has spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by families and individuals as they migrated and settled in new areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hocking
Among Census respondents with the surname Hocking, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hocking 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 Hocking surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,483
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 105
- Two or more races3.7% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hocking
Hocking 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
#10,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,969
+35 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 637 places
2020
#11,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,735
-234 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,111 | 2,934 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,748 | 2,969 | 1.01 | +35 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 637 places |
| 2020 | #11,077 | 2,735 | 0.92 | -234 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 329 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 Hocking 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 | #10,748 | #11,077 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,969 | 2,735 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.92 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hocking bearers went from 2,969 to 2,735 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 329 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,748 to #11,077.
FAQ
Hocking surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hocking?
Name Census estimates that about 3,136 living Americans carry the surname Hocking. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,297 residents.
How common is Hocking?
Hocking ranks #11,077 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,735 people with the surname Hocking. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hocking.
Has Hocking become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hocking went from 2,969 recorded bearers to 2,735. That is a decrease of 234 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,748 to #11,077.
What does the Census say about the background of Hocking?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hocking, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hocking in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,483 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hocking appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hocking (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 Hocking mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "a settlement in the hills" in Old English. 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 Hocking (0.92 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 many people have the last name Hocking?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Hocking is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.