2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hoig
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "oighre" meaning heir or successor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Hoig. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoig 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Hoig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoig
The surname HOIG is believed to have originated in Scotland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old Norse word "haugr," meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, referring to a person who lived near or on a small hill.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name HOIG can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobility and gentry who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Here, the name is spelled as "Hog" or "Hogg," which were likely earlier variations of the modern spelling.
In the 14th century, the name HOIG appeared in various charters and land records in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. This indicates that the name was well-established in these regions during this period.
A notable bearer of the HOIG surname was Sir Thomas Hoig, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Sir Thomas was recorded as being present at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where the Scottish forces decisively defeated the English.
Another historical figure with the HOIG surname was John Hoig, a 16th-century Scottish scholar and theologian. Hoig was a professor at the University of St. Andrews and played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
In the 17th century, the HOIG name appeared in several parish records and legal documents in the Scottish Borders region. One prominent individual from this time was William Hoig, a landowner and magistrate in the town of Jedburgh, who was born in 1627 and died in 1698.
As the centuries passed, the HOIG surname spread beyond Scotland, with branches of the family settling in other parts of the British Isles and eventually migrating to North America and other parts of the world. However, the name's origins can be traced back to its Scottish roots and the Old Norse word "haugr," reflecting the topographical features of the areas where the name first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoig
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoig 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 Hoig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoig
Hoig 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-22 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 32,178 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 32,178 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 5,705 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 Hoig 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 | #160,975 | #155,270 | 3.5% |
| Count | 100 | 101 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoig bearers went from 100 to 101 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 5,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #155,270.
FAQ
Hoig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoig?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Hoig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Hoig?
Hoig ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Hoig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Hoig.
Has Hoig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoig went from 100 recorded bearers to 101. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Hoig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Hoig (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 Hoig mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "oighre" meaning heir or successor. 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 Hoig (0.03 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 Hoig?
See how many people have the surname Hoig on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.