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

Hoek, 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 Hoek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoek in America

Hoek is the 44808th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoek surname appeared 479 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hoek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoek 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 Hoek

The surname HOEK has its origins in the Low Countries, specifically the Netherlands and Belgium, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "hoek," meaning "corner" or "angle," likely referring to someone who lived on a corner or at an angle in a town or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HOEK can be found in a 1275 document from the city of Leiden, where a man named Johannes van der Hoek is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century, possibly originating as a descriptive surname or a reference to a particular location.

In the 14th century, the HOEK surname appears in various records from the Low Countries, such as the 1348 census of Bruges, where several individuals with the name are listed. This indicates that the name had become well-established in the region by this time.

Notable individuals with the surname HOEK throughout history include Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (1581-1647), a renowned Dutch poet and historian; Jan van der Hoek (1801-1866), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and cityscapes; and Constantijn Huijgens Hoek (1670-1733), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in portraiture.

Other historical figures bearing the HOEK surname include Johannes Hoek (1618-1675), a Dutch Reformed theologian and professor at the University of Leiden, and Pieter Hoek (1674-1745), a Dutch architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam.

In terms of place names associated with the surname, there are several locations in the Netherlands and Belgium that bear the name "Hoek," such as Hoek van Holland, a town in the Dutch province of South Holland, and Hoek in West Flanders, Belgium.

While the HOEK surname originated in the Low Countries, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the Dutch-speaking regions of Europe in the 13th century and its association with a specific geographic location or descriptor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoek

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

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

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

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