2000
#11,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,542
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Hokanson
Derived from a Swedish place name meaning "high brook," likely referring to a family's geographic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,871 Americans carry the last name Hokanson. That puts it at #11,938 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,385 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hokanson 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
2.9K
1 in 119,385
Census rank
#11,938
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,504 bearers of the surname Hokanson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11938th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hokanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hokanson
The surname HOKANSON is of Swedish origin, and it can be traced back to the late 17th century. The name is derived from the Swedish word "hok," which means "hook," and "son," indicating that it is a patronymic surname. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone whose father or ancestor had a profession or characteristic related to hooks.
The earliest recorded instances of the HOKANSON surname can be found in various historical records and documents from Sweden, such as church registers and tax records. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Nils Hokanson, born in 1692 in the village of Östra Husby, Östergötland, Sweden.
In the 19th century, the HOKANSON surname began to appear in various parts of the world, particularly in North America, as Swedish immigrants sought new opportunities abroad. One notable figure from this era was Gustaf Hokanson, born in 1832 in Värmland, Sweden, who emigrated to the United States in the 1860s and settled in Minnesota.
The HOKANSON surname has also been associated with certain place names in Sweden, such as the village of Hökåsen in Kronoberg County, which may have contributed to the development of the surname. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Hokansson and Hokansson, have been recorded over time.
Other notable individuals with the HOKANSON surname include:
1. Erik Hokanson (1872-1944), a Swedish-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 1915 to 1917.
2. Sven Hokanson (1903-1989), a Swedish-American artist known for his landscape paintings and murals, many of which depicted scenes from the American West.
3. Ingrid Hokanson (1927-2011), a Swedish writer and journalist who published several novels and short story collections.
4. Lars Hokanson (born 1961), a Swedish-American scientist and professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, known for his research on cardiovascular disease.
5. Anna Hokanson (born 1985), a Swedish-American fashion designer and entrepreneur, known for her sustainable and ethical clothing line.
While the HOKANSON surname may not be among the most common in the world, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hokanson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hokanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hokanson 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 Hokanson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,299
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 85
- Two or more races3.1% · 78
- Black or African American0.8% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hokanson
Hokanson 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
#12,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,587
+45 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 680 places
2020
#11,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,504
-83 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,375 | 2,542 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,055 | 2,587 | 0.88 | +45 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 680 places |
| 2020 | #11,938 | 2,504 | 0.84 | -83 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 117 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 Hokanson 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 | #12,055 | #11,938 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,587 | 2,504 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.84 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hokanson bearers went from 2,587 to 2,504 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,055 to #11,938.
FAQ
Hokanson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hokanson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,871 living Americans carry the surname Hokanson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,385 residents.
How common is Hokanson?
Hokanson ranks #11,938 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,504 people with the surname Hokanson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,871), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Hokanson.
Has Hokanson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hokanson went from 2,587 recorded bearers to 2,504. That is a decrease of 83 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,055 to #11,938.
What does the Census say about the background of Hokanson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hokanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Hokanson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,299 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hokanson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Hokanson (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 Hokanson mean?
Derived from a Swedish place name meaning "high brook," likely referring to a family's geographic origin. 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 Hokanson (0.84 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 Hokanson?
You can see how many people are called Hokanson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.