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

Hooper, 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 Hooper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hooper in America

Hooper is the 1020th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hooper surname appeared 34,247 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Hooper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hooper 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 Hooper

The surname Hooper originated in England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It derives from the Old English pre-7th century word "hoper" or "hopor," meaning a vaulter or leaper, likely referring to an agile person or an acrobat. The name may have also been associated with the occupation of a manufacturer or seller of hoops.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Hopere" and "Hoppere." The name was most prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Oxfordshire during the medieval period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William le Hoppere, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279. In the 14th century, John Hoper was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1330.

During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, "Hooper." Notable individuals with this surname include John Hooper (c. 1495-1555), an English Protestant reformer and martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions.

In the 17th century, George Hooper (1640-1727) was an English philosopher and theologian, while Robert Hooper (1773-1835) was a renowned English dramatist and writer. In the 19th century, Wilfred Hooper (1822-1892) was a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements in agricultural machinery.

Another significant bearer of the Hooper name was Sir Ralph Hooper (1773-1835), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1824 to 1830.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hooper

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

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

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

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