Find out how popular the last name Houk is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Houk.

Houk, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Houk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Houk in America

Houk is the 6157th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Houk surname appeared 5,560 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Houk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Houk to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Houk

The surname Houk is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Hauk," which means "hawk" or "falcon." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who handled or trained hawks for hunting purposes.

The earliest known record of the Houk surname appears in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Schwabach, located in the Mittelfranken region of Bavaria, Germany. In these records, a person named Hans Hauk is mentioned in 1568.

In the 17th century, variations of the spelling began to emerge, such as Houck, Hauck, and Houk. These variations likely resulted from regional differences in pronunciation and record-keeping practices.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Houk surname was Johann Houk, born in 1642 in Franconia, Germany. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to live in the region for several generations.

Another notable figure was Christoph Houk, born in 1712 in Schwarzenbach, a town in the Palatinate region of Germany. He was a skilled blacksmith and is mentioned in local records for his contributions to the town's metalworking industry.

In the 18th century, some Houk families began to emigrate from Germany to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Johann Adam Houk, born in 1756 in Hesse, Germany. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States in 1784 and settled in the area that is now Berks County.

A famous bearer of the Houk surname was Wilhelm Houk, born in 1820 in Württemberg, Germany. He was a renowned architect and was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Stuttgart, including the Staatsgalerie and the Königsbau.

Another notable figure was Anna Houk, born in 1865 in Hesse, Germany. She was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights, founding several schools for girls in her home region.

While the surname Houk has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with bearers of the name found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Houk

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Houk.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Houk was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Houk has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Houk was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Houk, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!