2000
#2,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,479
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.11
Uncommon Last name
Hooker
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold hooks, or lived near a hook-shaped river bend.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,760 Americans carry the last name Hooker. That puts it at #2,295 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,299 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hooker 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hooker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,299
Census rank
#2,295
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,488 bearers of the surname Hooker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2295th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hooker, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hooker
The surname Hooker originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word 'hoc', meaning hook, and referred to a maker or seller of hooks used for various purposes, such as fishing or fastening objects together.
The earliest known record of the surname Hooker dates back to the 13th century, with Robert le Hokere appearing in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk in 1273. Another early reference can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, mentioning a John le Hokere.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Hoker, Hokere, and Hooker, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. One notable example is Richard Hooker (1554-1600), an influential Anglican theologian and author of the influential work "Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity".
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Hooker surname gained prominence, with several individuals making significant contributions to various fields. One such figure was Thomas Hooker (1586-1647), a Puritan colonial leader and the founder of the Colony of Connecticut. Another notable Hooker was Sir William Hooker (1785-1865), a renowned botanist and the first director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The surname also has ties to specific locations, such as Hooker's Green in Oxfordshire, which likely derived its name from individuals bearing the surname Hooker residing in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hooker include Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911), a renowned botanist and explorer who succeeded his father, Sir William Hooker, as the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and Tom Hooker (1765-1829), an American pioneer and one of the founders of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.
While the surname Hooker originated as an occupational name, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history and numerous notable bearers across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hooker
Among Census respondents with the surname Hooker, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hooker 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 Hooker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.0% · 10,533
- Black or African American22.6% · 3,501
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 682
- Two or more races4.1% · 639
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hooker
Hooker 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
#2,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,646
+167 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 5.64
Rank movement Down 168 places
2020
#2,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,488
-1,158 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 5.18
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,017 | 16,479 | 6.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,185 | 16,646 | 5.64 | +167 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 168 places |
| 2020 | #2,295 | 15,488 | 5.18 | -1,158 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 110 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 Hooker 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 | #2,185 | #2,295 | -5.0% |
| Count | 16,646 | 15,488 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.64 | 5.18 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hooker bearers went from 16,646 to 15,488 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,185 to #2,295.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hooker
FAQ
Hooker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hooker?
Name Census estimates that about 17,760 living Americans carry the surname Hooker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,299 residents.
How common is Hooker?
Hooker ranks #2,295 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.18 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 15,488 people with the surname Hooker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.18 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 Hooker.
Has Hooker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hooker went from 16,646 recorded bearers to 15,488. That is a decrease of 1,158 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,185 to #2,295.
What does the Census say about the background of Hooker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hooker, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Hooker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.0% (10,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hooker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.0%), Black (22.6%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Hooker (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 Hooker mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold hooks, or lived near a hook-shaped river bend. 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 Hooker (5.18 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 Americans have the surname Hooker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.