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

Hoy, 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 Hoy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoy in America

Hoy is the 3855th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoy surname appeared 9,196 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Hoy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoy 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 Hoy

The surname Hoy has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the early medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "achadh," which means "field" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have originally been a place name or a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near or on a field or meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1266, where it is spelled "Hog." This spelling variation is thought to be an anglicized version of the original Gaelic form. Over time, the spelling evolved further to become "Hoy," which is the more common modern spelling.

The name Hoy can be found in various historical records throughout Scotland, particularly in the regions of Fife, Angus, and Perthshire. In the 16th century, a notable figure named David Hoy (c. 1550-1612) was a Scottish minister and scholar who served as the minister of Dysart in Fife.

Another significant bearer of the name was Sir James Hoy (1655-1717), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist. He was born in Cupar, Fife, and made his fortune in trade with the Low Countries. He endowed several schools and hospitals in Cupar and was knighted by King William III in 1693.

In the 18th century, William Hoy (1768-1839) was a prominent Scottish painter and engraver. He was born in Perth and is known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which are held in the National Galleries of Scotland.

Moving into the 19th century, Thomas Hoy (1816-1899) was a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman. He emigrated to Australia in the 1840s and became a successful merchant and land speculator in Melbourne. He served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1856 to 1871.

Another notable figure was James Hoy (1885-1976), a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Celtic and Falkirk. He was part of the Celtic team that won the Scottish Cup in 1907 and 1908.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Hoy, which has its roots in the ancient fields and meadows of Scotland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoy

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

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 Hoy 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 Hoy 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 Hoy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hoy, 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!