2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hockney
An English surname derived from a village in Nottinghamshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 162 Americans carry the last name Hockney. That puts it at #127,013 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,115,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hockney 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 Hockney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
162
1 in 2,115,768
Census rank
#127,013
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
141
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 141 bearers of the surname Hockney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 127013th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hockney, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hockney
The surname HOCKNEY is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hoc," meaning hook, and "ey," meaning island or land by water, suggesting a connection to a hooked-shaped area of land near a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HOCKNEY can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a Robert Hockeney is listed as a resident of the village of Hockney, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This village likely played a significant role in the origin and spread of the surname.
HOCKNEY is also mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire, a historical legal document from the 13th century, indicating the name's presence in the region during that time period. Variations in spelling, such as Hockney, Hokney, and Hockneye, can be found in these early records.
One notable bearer of the HOCKNEY surname was William Hockney, a 16th-century landowner and farmer from the village of Hockney, who was born around 1520 and died in 1587. His descendants continued to carry the name and contribute to the local community.
Another individual of historical significance was John Hockney, born in 1645 in Yorkshire, who served as a member of the English Parliament during the late 17th century, representing the Yorkshire constituency from 1689 to 1695.
In the 18th century, the HOCKNEY name gained further recognition with the birth of Thomas Hockney (1720-1793), a renowned architect and builder who designed several notable structures in Yorkshire, including the Hockney Manor House, which still stands today.
The most famous bearer of the HOCKNEY surname in modern times is undoubtedly David Hockney, the acclaimed English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer, born in 1937 in Bradford, Yorkshire. His vibrant and innovative works have earned him international acclaim and a place among the most influential artists of the 20th century.
The HOCKNEY surname has a rich history rooted in the Yorkshire region of England, with records dating back to the 13th century. Over the centuries, the name has been associated with landowners, parliamentarians, architects, and renowned artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have carried this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hockney
Among Census respondents with the surname Hockney, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hockney 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 Hockney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.3% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hockney
Hockney 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+5 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,078 places
2020
#127,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 4,078 places |
| 2020 | #127,013 | 141 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 4,699 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 Hockney 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 | #122,314 | #127,013 | -3.8% |
| Count | 141 | 141 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hockney bearers went from 141 to 141 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 4,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #127,013.
FAQ
Hockney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hockney?
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the surname Hockney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,115,768 residents.
How common is Hockney?
Hockney ranks #127,013 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 141 people with the surname Hockney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hockney.
Has Hockney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hockney went from 141 recorded bearers to 141. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #127,013.
What does the Census say about the background of Hockney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hockney, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Hockney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.3% (140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hockney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.3%), Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Hockney (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 Hockney mean?
An English surname derived from a village in Nottinghamshire, England. 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 Hockney (0.05 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 Hockney?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Hockney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.