2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hosker
An English surname derived from Norse personal names or placenames containing "Hós" or "Hos."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Hosker. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hosker 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 Hosker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Hosker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosker, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hosker
The surname Hosker is of English origin, with its roots traceable to the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name Hosker is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hos" and "ker," which translates to "muddy stream" or "marsh-dweller." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely resided near marshy areas or lived in close proximity to a muddy stream.
Hosker is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a place name referring to a particular locality or geographic feature. It is speculated that the name may have been derived from a now-forgotten or obscure place name, as many such settlements have vanished or been absorbed into larger towns and cities over the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hosker surname can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a William Hosker is mentioned. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Hosker name appeared in the Parish Registers of Whalley, Lancashire, suggesting a strong presence of the family in this region. A notable individual from this era was John Hosker, born in 1532 in Whalley, who served as a churchwarden in the local parish.
During the 17th century, the Hosker family seemed to have spread beyond their northern English roots. Records show a Thomas Hosker, born in 1612 in Oxfordshire, who was a landowner and farmer.
In the 18th century, the Hosker name gained prominence with the birth of William Hosker (1701-1761), a successful merchant and member of the Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh. His son, also named William Hosker (1736-1805), followed in his father's footsteps and became a prominent figure in Scottish trade.
Moving into the 19th century, a notable figure was John Hosker (1825-1892), a renowned architect from Lancashire who designed several notable buildings, including the Blackpool Tower and the Harris Museum & Art Gallery in Preston.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Hosker (1871-1952), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights. She was actively involved in the Women's Social and Political Union and participated in various protests and demonstrations.
While the Hosker surname has its roots in northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references suggest a strong connection to the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where the name likely originated from a locational or topographical description.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hosker
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosker, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hosker 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 Hosker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 115
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hosker
Hosker 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,164 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-18 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,164 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 17,534 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 Hosker 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 | #127,494 | #145,028 | -13.8% |
| Count | 134 | 116 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hosker bearers went from 134 to 116 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 17,534 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,028.
FAQ
Hosker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hosker?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Hosker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Hosker?
Hosker ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Hosker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hosker.
Has Hosker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hosker went from 134 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Hosker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosker, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Hosker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hosker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Hosker (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 Hosker mean?
An English surname derived from Norse personal names or placenames containing "Hós" or "Hos." 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 Hosker (0.04 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 Hosker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.