2000
#13,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Hoye
Derived from the Middle English word "hoy," referring to a small coastal sailing vessel or fishing boat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,291 Americans carry the last name Hoye. That puts it at #14,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,609 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoye 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 Hoye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,609
Census rank
#14,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,998 bearers of the surname Hoye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoye, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoye
The surname Hoye has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "hoh," which means "heel" or "projecting ridge of land." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a distinctive ridge or heel-shaped landform.
In the early medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Hoy, Hoge, or Hogie, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling practices at the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a person named William Hoge is mentioned.
The name Hoye is also associated with the Shetland Islands, a Scottish archipelago located in the Northern Isles. It is possible that the name originated there and was later adopted in other parts of Scotland. In fact, the island of Hoy, which is part of the Orkney Islands, may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Hoye was Sir Peter Hoye (1551-1616), a Scottish landowner and member of the Scottish Parliament during the reign of King James VI. Another prominent individual was James Hoye (1670-1743), a Scottish minister and writer who served as the principal of St. Mary's College at the University of St. Andrews.
In the 17th century, the name Hoye appeared in the records of the Scottish Burghs, which were towns with special trading privileges. For instance, a merchant named John Hoye is mentioned in the records of the Burgh of Linlithgow in 1658.
Moving forward in time, William Hoye (1742-1828) was a Scottish architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Circus Lane Baths and the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
Finally, a more recent figure with the surname Hoye was Robert Hoye (1909-1986), a Scottish actor and theatre director who gained recognition for his work in productions by the Scottish National Players and the BBC.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoye
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoye, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoye 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 Hoye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.7% · 1,453
- Black or African American18.5% · 370
- Two or more races4.9% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoye
Hoye 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
#14,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,103
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 941 places
2020
#14,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,998
-105 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,311 | 2,100 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,252 | 2,103 | 0.71 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 941 places |
| 2020 | #14,401 | 1,998 | 0.67 | -105 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 149 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 Hoye 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 | #14,252 | #14,401 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,103 | 1,998 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.67 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoye bearers went from 2,103 to 1,998 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,252 to #14,401.
FAQ
Hoye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoye?
Name Census estimates that about 2,291 living Americans carry the surname Hoye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,609 residents.
How common is Hoye?
Hoye ranks #14,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,998 people with the surname Hoye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,291), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Hoye.
Has Hoye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoye went from 2,103 recorded bearers to 1,998. That is a decrease of 105 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,252 to #14,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoye, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Hoye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (1,453 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.7%), Black (18.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Hoye (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 Hoye mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "hoy," referring to a small coastal sailing vessel or fishing boat. 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 Hoye (0.67 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 Hoye?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Hoye at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.