2000
#2,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,442
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.72
Uncommon Last name
Hogue
A French toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill, mound, or barrow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,161 Americans carry the last name Hogue. That puts it at #2,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,973 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hogue 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
17K
1 in 19,973
Census rank
#2,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,965 bearers of the surname Hogue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hogue, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hogue
The surname Hogue is of French origin and has its roots in the Normandy region of northern France. It is derived from the Old French word "hogue," which means a small hill or mound. This name likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived on or near a small hill or mound.
The earliest recorded instances of the Hogue surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Normandy. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Robert de Hogue, who was mentioned in the records of the Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy in 1195.
During the Middle Ages, the Hogue surname was also associated with various place names in Normandy, such as Hougue, Hougue-Aye, and Hougue-Fréville. These place names were derived from the Old French word "hogue" and likely referred to settlements or villages situated on or near small hills or mounds.
In the 13th century, the Hogue surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, England, suggesting that individuals with this name had migrated from Normandy to England during the Norman Conquest of 1066 or in the subsequent centuries.
One notable figure in history who bore the Hogue surname was Sir Richard Hogue (c. 1430-1492), an English politician and member of Parliament during the Wars of the Roses. He served as the Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk and was a loyal supporter of the House of York.
Another notable bearer of the Hogue surname was Jean Hogue (c. 1550-1625), a French Protestant minister and theologian. He was a prominent figure in the Huguenot community and served as a pastor in various churches in Normandy and Picardy.
In the 17th century, the Hogue surname began to appear in North America, with some of the earliest recorded instances being in French colonial settlements such as Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada) and Louisiana.
One notable figure from this time period was Mathieu Hogue (c. 1650-1730), a French Canadian colonist and founder of the Hogue family in New France (present-day Canada). He arrived in Quebec in the late 17th century and settled in the Beaupré region, where he established a successful farming community.
Another notable bearer of the Hogue surname was Isaac Hogue (c. 1720-1783), an American Revolutionary War soldier and patriot. He fought in several battles during the war, including the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Saratoga.
Throughout history, the Hogue surname has been associated with various spellings, such as Hougue, Hogge, and Hogg, reflecting the regional variations and phonetic adaptations of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hogue
Among Census respondents with the surname Hogue, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hogue 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 Hogue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 11,760
- Black or African American11.2% · 1,682
- Two or more races4.3% · 637
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 567
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 100
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hogue
Hogue 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
#2,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,457
+1,015 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 5.58
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#2,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,965
-1,492 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 5.01
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,159 | 15,442 | 5.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,213 | 16,457 | 5.58 | +1,015 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #2,381 | 14,965 | 5.01 | -1,492 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 168 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 Hogue 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 | #2,213 | #2,381 | -7.6% |
| Count | 16,457 | 14,965 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.58 | 5.01 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hogue bearers went from 16,457 to 14,965 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,213 to #2,381.
FAQ
Hogue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hogue?
Name Census estimates that about 17,161 living Americans carry the surname Hogue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,973 residents.
How common is Hogue?
Hogue ranks #2,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,965 people with the surname Hogue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,161), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Hogue.
Has Hogue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hogue went from 16,457 recorded bearers to 14,965. That is a decrease of 1,492 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,213 to #2,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Hogue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hogue, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hogue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (11,760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hogue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hogue (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 Hogue mean?
A French toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill, mound, or barrow. 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 Hogue (5.01 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 surname Hogue?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.