2000
#1,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.66
Uncommon Last name
Hoskins
Derived from the medieval personal name Osekin, a pet form of the Old English name Oswald, meaning "god-power."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,212 Americans carry the last name Hoskins. That puts it at #1,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoskins 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 Hoskins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,596
Census rank
#1,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,730 bearers of the surname Hoskins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoskins, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoskins
The surname Hoskins is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hose" meaning "hose" or "stocking" and the diminutive suffix "-kin," essentially meaning "little hose." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for a maker or seller of hose or stockings during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 13th century, with mentions of individuals bearing variations of the name such as Hosakyn and Hosekyn appearing in tax rolls and legal documents from counties like Somerset and Gloucestershire.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners in England, there is an entry for a Richard Hosekyn in Huntingdonshire. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John Hosakyn from Worcestershire.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Hoskins was John Hoskins, a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London, who lived from around 1470 to 1538.
Another notable historical figure with the Hoskins surname was Sir John Hoskins (1566-1638), a Member of Parliament and one of the leaders of the Virginia Company, which established the first English settlements in North America.
In the 17th century, John Hoskins (1598-1664) was an English composer and lutenist who served as a court musician to King Charles I and later became a member of the prestigious King's Musick under Charles II.
During the 18th century, Gideon Hoskins (1722-1781) was a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including a book titled "The Life of Christ" published in 1761.
In the 19th century, Sir Anthony Hoskins (1828-1901) was a British lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of England and Wales from 1885 to 1886.
Over time, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Hoskin, Hoskyns, and Hosken, with the latter form being more prevalent in Cornwall and parts of the West Country of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoskins
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoskins, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoskins 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 Hoskins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.1% · 16,627
- Black or African American21.8% · 5,169
- Two or more races4.1% · 966
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 695
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 147
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 126
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoskins
Hoskins 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
#1,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,581
+1,223 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 8.33
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#1,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,730
-851 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 7.94
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,391 | 23,358 | 8.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,449 | 24,581 | 8.33 | +1,223 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #1,463 | 23,730 | 7.94 | -851 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 14 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 Hoskins 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 | #1,449 | #1,463 | -1.0% |
| Count | 24,581 | 23,730 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 8.33 | 7.94 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoskins bearers went from 24,581 to 23,730 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,449 to #1,463.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hoskins
FAQ
Hoskins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoskins?
Name Census estimates that about 27,212 living Americans carry the surname Hoskins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,596 residents.
How common is Hoskins?
Hoskins ranks #1,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,730 people with the surname Hoskins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Hoskins.
Has Hoskins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoskins went from 24,581 recorded bearers to 23,730. That is a decrease of 851 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,449 to #1,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoskins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoskins, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hoskins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (16,627 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoskins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.1%), Black (21.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hoskins (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 Hoskins mean?
Derived from the medieval personal name Osekin, a pet form of the Old English name Oswald, meaning "god-power." 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 Hoskins (7.94 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 last name Hoskins?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Hoskins at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.