2000
#11,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,500
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Hoskin
A surname of English origin, derived from the given name Hoskin, a diminutive of Hodge, meaning "son of Hod."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,337 Americans carry the last name Hoskin. That puts it at #14,145 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoskin 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 Hoskin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,664
Census rank
#14,145
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,038 bearers of the surname Hoskin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14145th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoskin
The surname Hoskin has its origins in Cornwall, England, and it is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Cornish words "hos" and "kin," which together mean "house kin" or "kin of the house." This suggests that the name was initially used to identify individuals associated with a particular household or estate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hoskin surname can be found in the Cornish Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where it is listed as "Hosekyn." This document was a record of taxes levied on the population during that time period.
The name Hoskin has also been linked to several place names in Cornwall, such as Hosken and Hosken's Mill, further suggesting its deep-rooted connection to the region. Over time, the name has evolved through various spellings, including Hosken, Hoskin, and Hosking.
Notable individuals bearing the Hoskin surname throughout history include:
1. John Hoskin (c. 1590 - c. 1665), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Ervan's Church in Cornwall.
2. Richard Hoskin (1800 - 1874), a Cornish engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of mining machinery.
3. Theodora Hoskin (1828 - 1908), a British artist and painter who specialized in watercolor landscapes and was a member of the Newlyn School of art.
4. William Hosking (1800 - 1861), a Cornish geologist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of minerals found in Cornwall.
5. John Trevenen Hoskins (1805 - 1875), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Cornwall, including Penjerrick House and Tremough House.
While the Hoskin surname has its roots firmly planted in Cornwall, over the centuries, it has spread across England and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, from religion and literature to engineering and art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoskin
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoskin 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 Hoskin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.5% · 1,193
- Black or African American32.1% · 654
- Two or more races4.0% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoskin
Hoskin 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
#11,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,671
+171 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#14,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,038
-633 bearers (-23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 2,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,536 | 2,500 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,733 | 2,671 | 0.91 | +171 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #14,145 | 2,038 | 0.68 | -633 bearers (-23.7%) | Down 2,412 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 Hoskin 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 | #11,733 | #14,145 | -20.6% |
| Count | 2,671 | 2,038 | -23.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.68 | -25.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoskin bearers went from 2,671 to 2,038 (-23.7% change). The surname moved down 2,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,733 to #14,145.
FAQ
Hoskin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoskin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,337 living Americans carry the surname Hoskin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,664 residents.
How common is Hoskin?
Hoskin ranks #14,145 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,038 people with the surname Hoskin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Hoskin.
Has Hoskin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoskin went from 2,671 recorded bearers to 2,038. That is a decrease of 633 (-23.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,733 to #14,145.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoskin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hoskin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.5% (1,193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoskin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.5%), Black (32.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Hoskin (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 Hoskin mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the given name Hoskin, a diminutive of Hodge, meaning "son of Hod." 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 Hoskin (0.68 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 share the surname Hoskin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.