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

Hook, 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 Hook surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hook in America

Hook is the 2680th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hook surname appeared 13,437 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Hook.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hook 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 Hook

The surname Hook is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'hoc', meaning a hook or angle. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a hook-shaped bend in a river or road, or who worked as a maker of hooks or other hooked tools.

The earliest known record of the name Hook appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Hoc' in various counties across England. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as 'Hoke', 'Hooke', and 'Huke', reflecting the various regional dialects of the time. The name was particularly common in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire, where several places bear the name Hook, such as Hook in Gloucestershire and Hook Norton in Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Roger Hooke, a prominent landowner in Somerset who lived in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Robert Hooke (1635-1703), a renowned English scientist and polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including physics, astronomy, and architecture.

In the 15th century, the name Hook was associated with the medieval English folk hero, Adam Bell, who was said to have lived in the village of Inglewood near Carlisle. According to legend, Bell was a skilled archer and outlaw who defied the authorities and became a Robin Hood-like figure.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hook include Theodore Hook (1788-1841), an English novelist and satirist known for his humorous writings, and Sidney Hook (1902-1989), an American philosopher and prominent figure in the pragmatist movement.

Throughout history, the name Hook has been found in various forms, such as Hooke, Hoke, and Huke, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hook

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

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

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

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