Hopey last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hopey

A transferred use of the Middle English word "hope" meaning desire or expectation.

Hopey, 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 Hopey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hopey in America

Hopey is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hopey surname appeared 111 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 Hopey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hopey 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank14834712410917.79%
Count111128-14.23%
Proportion per 100k0.040.05-22.22%

The history of the last name Hopey

The surname Hopey is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hop," which refers to the hop plant used in brewing beer. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near or worked with hop plants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hopey can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like record from 1273. Here, the name appears as "Hoppe," an early variation of the spelling.

In the 14th century, the name was also recorded in various manorial records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it was spelled "Hoppy." This variation suggests the name may have been used as a nickname or a shortened form of a longer name.

Hopey is also found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the late 13th century, where it is spelled "Hoppey." This record indicates that the name was present in different regions of England during the medieval period.

One notable historical figure with the surname Hopey was John Hopey, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol in the late 15th century. Records show that he was involved in the wool trade and held influential positions in the local government.

Another individual of note was William Hopey, a yeoman farmer from Oxfordshire who lived in the early 17th century. His name appears in the parish records of the village of Bampton, where he owned land and served as a churchwarden.

In the 18th century, the name Hopey was also recorded in the parish registers of Gloucestershire, with entries for the baptisms and marriages of several individuals bearing this surname. One such entry mentions a Thomas Hopey, who was born in 1723 in the village of Painswick.

The surname Hopey has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Hopey Green in Staffordshire and Hopey Hill in Derbyshire. These locations may have derived their names from individuals with the surname Hopey who lived or owned land in those areas.

Throughout its history, the surname Hopey has maintained a consistent spelling, although variations like Hoppe, Hoppy, and Hoppey were also used in earlier times. Overall, the name reflects the agricultural and brewing traditions of medieval and early modern England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hopey

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

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 Hopey was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only77.48%86
Non-Hispanic Black Only21.62%24
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races0.00%0
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Hopey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White77.48%78.91%-1.83%
Black21.62%17.19%22.83%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races0.00%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

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

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

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