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

Hughey, 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 Hughey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hughey in America

Hughey is the 5124th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hughey surname appeared 6,830 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 Hughey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hughey 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 Hughey

The surname Hughey has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a variant of the Irish surname Hughes, which is derived from the Old Welsh personal name Hughe or Hugh. This name, in turn, is thought to be derived from the Germanic name Hugo, meaning "bright in mind and spirit."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hughey can be found in Irish records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Seán Ó hUiginn, a renowned bard and poet from County Sligo, who lived in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Hughey surname appeared in various parts of Ireland, including counties Antrim, Down, and Armagh. During this period, the spelling of the name was often interchangeable with Hughes and other variants such as Hughy and Hewey.

One notable figure from this era was Reverend Robert Hughey, an Irish Presbyterian minister who was born in County Antrim in 1643. He played a significant role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Ireland.

As the Irish diaspora spread across the world, the Hughey surname traveled with them. In the late 18th century, a family bearing the name settled in the American colonies, with records showing a John Hughey living in Virginia in the 1780s.

Another prominent individual with the Hughey surname was William Hughey, an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in County Donegal in 1755 and served in the Continental Army.

In the 19th century, the Hughey surname continued to appear in various parts of the United States. One notable bearer was Samuel Hughey, a lawyer and politician from Ohio who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849.

Across the Atlantic, the name also had a presence in England, with records showing a William Hughey born in London in 1821. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist.

As the centuries progressed, the Hughey surname spread further across the globe, with bearers of the name making their mark in various fields, from academia to the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hughey

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

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

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