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

Hooke, 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 Hooke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hooke in America

Hooke is the 34427th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hooke surname appeared 658 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 Hooke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hooke 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 Hooke

The surname Hooke is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'hoc', meaning a hook or an angle of land. This name was likely given to someone who lived near a piece of land with a distinctive hooked shape or near a bend in a river or road.

The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in various medieval records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a William de la Hoke is mentioned. The Domesday Book of 1086 also lists several places with the suffix 'hoc', such as Hocdun in Berkshire and Hocchenehall in Norfolk.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Hoke, Hooke, and Houck. One notable bearer was Robert Hooke (1635-1703), an English scientist and architect who is renowned for his work on microscopes, celestial bodies, and the theory of elasticity.

Another prominent figure with this surname was Nathaniel Hooke (1690-1763), an English historian and writer who authored works such as "The Roman History" and "An Account of the Conduct of the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough".

In the 18th century, Captain James Hooke (1746-1827) was a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a renowned maritime author.

The surname also has a connection to place names, as evidenced by the village of Hook in Hampshire, England, which is derived from the Old English word 'hoc'.

Other notable bearers of the Hooke surname include Reverend William Hooke (1601-1678), an English clergyman and astronomer, and Theodore Hooke (1786-1849), a British military officer and politician.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hooke

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

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

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

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