2000
#26,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 876
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Hoque
A surname of Arabic origin meaning teacher or scholar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,391 Americans carry the last name Hoque. That puts it at #10,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,078 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoque 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 Hoque with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,078
Census rank
#10,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,957 bearers of the surname Hoque in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoque, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoque
The surname HOQUE originated in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the region of Bengal, which is now divided between Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name HOQUE is derived from the Arabic word "Haqq," which means "truth" or "right." It is likely that the surname was initially adopted by Muslim scholars, religious leaders, or individuals associated with the Islamic faith, who were known for their pursuit of truth and knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HOQUE can be found in the Mughal Empire's administrative records and chronicles from the 16th and 17th centuries. During this period, the Mughals ruled over a vast territory that included parts of modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the surname HOQUE was Syed Noorullah Hoque, a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian from the Bengal region. He was born in 1640 and played a significant role in spreading Islamic teachings and establishing educational institutions in the area.
Another prominent individual with the surname HOQUE was Fazlur Rahman Hoque, a Bengali writer, and poet who lived from 1870 to 1936. He was known for his contributions to the Bengali literary tradition and his efforts in promoting the Bengali language and culture.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname HOQUE was associated with several influential figures in the Bengal Renaissance, a socio-cultural movement that sought to revive and modernize Bengali society. One such figure was Abul Hossain Hoque, born in 1872, who was a prominent educator and social reformer.
During the Indian independence movement, the surname HOQUE was carried by notable freedom fighters and political activists. One such individual was Akram Khan Hoque, born in 1913, who played a significant role in the struggle for Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Throughout its history, the surname HOQUE has been associated with various professions, including academics, writers, poets, religious scholars, and political leaders. While the name originated in the Bengal region, it has since spread to other parts of the Indian subcontinent and beyond, carried by individuals of Bengali descent who have migrated or settled in different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoque
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoque, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoque 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 Hoque surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.8% · 2,654
- White4.1% · 121
- Two or more races3.0% · 89
- Black or African American1.6% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoque
Hoque 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
#22,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,147
+271 bearers (+30.9%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 3,803 places
2020
#10,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,957
+1,810 bearers (+157.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 12,075 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,239 | 876 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,436 | 1,147 | 0.39 | +271 bearers (+30.9%) | Up 3,803 places |
| 2020 | #10,361 | 2,957 | 0.99 | +1,810 bearers (+157.8%) | Up 12,075 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 Hoque 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 | #22,436 | #10,361 | 53.8% |
| Count | 1,147 | 2,957 | 157.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.99 | 153.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoque bearers went from 1,147 to 2,957 (+157.8% change). The surname moved up 12,075 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,436 to #10,361.
FAQ
Hoque surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoque?
Name Census estimates that about 3,391 living Americans carry the surname Hoque. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,078 residents.
How common is Hoque?
Hoque ranks #10,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,957 people with the surname Hoque. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,391), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hoque.
Has Hoque become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoque went from 1,147 recorded bearers to 2,957. That is an increase of 1,810 (+157.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,436 to #10,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoque?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoque, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hoque in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (2,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoque appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.8%), White (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hoque (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 Hoque mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning teacher or scholar. 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 Hoque (0.99 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 people have the surname Hoque?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.