2000
#8,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Hosey
Derived from the Irish Ó hEodhusa, meaning "descendant of Eodhus," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,043 Americans carry the last name Hosey. That puts it at #8,909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,777 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hosey 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 Hosey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 84,777
Census rank
#8,909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,526 bearers of the surname Hosey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosey, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hosey
The surname Hosey has its origins in the Gaelic language, tracing its roots back to Ireland. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "oisín," which translates to "little deer" or "fawn." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who possessed certain traits associated with a deer, such as swiftness or grace.
In ancient Irish records, the name appears to have been spelled in various ways, including Hoisey, Hoisie, and Hoisry. The earliest documented reference to the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a certain Aodh Hosey is mentioned as a chieftain in County Louth in the 13th century.
The name gained prominence in the 16th century, particularly in the counties of Louth and Meath, where it was associated with several influential families. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Patrick Hosey, a distinguished soldier who served in the Irish Confederate Wars during the 1640s and was later appointed Governor of Wicklow.
In the 17th century, the Hosey family established themselves in the town of Slane, County Meath, and the surrounding areas. A prominent member of this branch was Nicholas Hosey, born in 1657, who was a notable landowner and patron of the arts.
As the name spread across Ireland, it also made its way to other parts of the world through Irish emigration. In the late 18th century, a certain William Hosey, born in County Meath in 1762, emigrated to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania, where he became a successful merchant and landowner.
Another notable figure bearing the Hosey name was Michael Hosey, an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Born in County Louth in 1828, he enlisted in the Union Army and served with distinction, earning the rank of Brigadier General by the end of the war.
Throughout history, the Hosey surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and politicians. One such example is Thomas Hosey, a 19th-century Irish poet and translator who was born in County Meath in 1816 and gained recognition for his works celebrating Irish culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hosey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosey, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hosey 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 Hosey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.3% · 2,301
- Black or African American26.9% · 948
- Two or more races3.8% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hosey
Hosey 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
#8,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,735
+60 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 486 places
2020
#8,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,526
-209 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,289 | 3,675 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,775 | 3,735 | 1.27 | +60 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 486 places |
| 2020 | #8,909 | 3,526 | 1.18 | -209 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 134 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 Hosey 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 | #8,775 | #8,909 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,735 | 3,526 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.18 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hosey bearers went from 3,735 to 3,526 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 134 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,775 to #8,909.
FAQ
Hosey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hosey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,043 living Americans carry the surname Hosey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,777 residents.
How common is Hosey?
Hosey ranks #8,909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,526 people with the surname Hosey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,043), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Hosey.
Has Hosey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hosey went from 3,735 recorded bearers to 3,526. That is a decrease of 209 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,775 to #8,909.
What does the Census say about the background of Hosey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosey, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hosey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.3% (2,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hosey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.3%), Black (26.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hosey (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 Hosey mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó hEodhusa, meaning "descendant of Eodhus," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Hosey (1.18 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 Hosey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.