2000
#6,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Hovey
Derived from a place name meaning "hill-spur island" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,480 Americans carry the last name Hovey. That puts it at #6,783 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,546 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hovey 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 Hovey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,546
Census rank
#6,783
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,779 bearers of the surname Hovey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6783rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hovey
The surname Hovey originated in England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hoh," which means a heel or a ridge of land. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived on a ridge or heel-shaped hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hovey appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1194, where a person named William Hoveye is mentioned. The name was also found in various other medieval records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275, which lists a Richard Hovey in Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, the surname was sometimes spelled as Hovy or Hovie, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that era. The Hovey family was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk.
Notable individuals with the surname Hovey include Richard Hovey (1864-1900), an American poet and dramatist who was part of the Fireside Poets movement. Another prominent figure was Charles Hovey (1810-1887), an American writer and horticulturist who founded the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
In the 17th century, several members of the Hovey family emigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded arrivals was Daniel Hovey, who settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1637. He later became a prominent citizen and served as a selectman and deputy to the General Court.
Another notable figure from this era was Alvah Hovey (1820-1903), an American Baptist minister and educator who served as the president of Newton Theological Institution (now Andover Newton Theological School) from 1868 to 1898.
The Hovey surname also has a strong connection to the town of Hovey, Illinois, which was named after Benjamin Hovey, who donated land for the establishment of the town in the mid-19th century.
While the origin of the surname Hovey can be traced back to England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of the original Hovey families have settled and established their own lineages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hovey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hovey 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 Hovey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 4,320
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 222
- Two or more races2.7% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 42
- Black or African American0.7% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hovey
Hovey 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
#6,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,927
-24 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 503 places
2020
#6,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,779
-148 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,337 | 4,951 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,840 | 4,927 | 1.67 | -24 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 503 places |
| 2020 | #6,783 | 4,779 | 1.60 | -148 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 57 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 Hovey 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 | #6,840 | #6,783 | 0.8% |
| Count | 4,927 | 4,779 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.60 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hovey bearers went from 4,927 to 4,779 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,840 to #6,783.
FAQ
Hovey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hovey?
Name Census estimates that about 5,480 living Americans carry the surname Hovey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,546 residents.
How common is Hovey?
Hovey ranks #6,783 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,779 people with the surname Hovey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hovey.
Has Hovey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hovey went from 4,927 recorded bearers to 4,779. That is a decrease of 148 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,840 to #6,783.
What does the Census say about the background of Hovey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hovey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (4,320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hovey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hovey (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 Hovey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill-spur island" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence. 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 Hovey (1.60 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 Hovey?
You can see how many people have the last name Hovey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.