2000
#17,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Hankey
English surname transferred from a diminutive of the medieval name Hans or John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,774 Americans carry the last name Hankey. That puts it at #17,809 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 193,210 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hankey 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 Hankey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 193,210
Census rank
#17,809
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,547 bearers of the surname Hankey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17809th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hankey
The surname Hankey originates from England, with its roots dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the village of Handkey, located near Billericay in Essex. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "hana" meaning "cock" or "rooster" and "eg" meaning "island" or "piece of higher ground," potentially indicating that the area was once an elevated region frequented by roosters.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, where a William de Hanekeye is listed. This document, which recorded land transactions, provides evidence of the surname's presence in the region during that period.
In the 14th century, the Hankey surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a John Hankey was listed. Similarly, in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1381, a Thomas Hankey was documented.
Notable individuals bearing the Hankey surname throughout history include Sir Henry Hankey (1677-1728), a British politician who served as Secretary at War from 1714 to 1718. Another prominent figure was Maurice Hankey (1877-1963), a British civil servant who played a crucial role in the development of the Cabinet Office and served as the first Cabinet Secretary from 1916 to 1938.
In the 18th century, the Hankey family established themselves as prominent bankers in London. Joseph Hankey (1714-1786) co-founded the banking firm of Hankey and Alers, which later merged with the Veres to form the notable Hankey, Alers & Veres banking house.
Other notable Hankeys include Sir Michael Hankey (1832-1897), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of British Guiana from 1881 to 1884, and Sir Maurice Hankey (1894-1964), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party.
Throughout its history, the Hankey surname has been associated with various locations in England, such as Hankey Park in Worcestershire and Hankey's Farm in East Sussex, further reflecting its longstanding roots in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hankey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hankey 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 Hankey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 1,361
- Black or African American4.1% · 64
- Two or more races4.1% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hankey
Hankey 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
#18,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,492
-26 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 1,304 places
2020
#17,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,547
+55 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 698 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,203 | 1,518 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,507 | 1,492 | 0.51 | -26 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,304 places |
| 2020 | #17,809 | 1,547 | 0.52 | +55 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 698 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 Hankey 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 | #18,507 | #17,809 | 3.8% |
| Count | 1,492 | 1,547 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.52 | 1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hankey bearers went from 1,492 to 1,547 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 698 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,507 to #17,809.
FAQ
Hankey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hankey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,774 living Americans carry the surname Hankey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 193,210 residents.
How common is Hankey?
Hankey ranks #17,809 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,547 people with the surname Hankey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Hankey.
Has Hankey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hankey went from 1,492 recorded bearers to 1,547. That is an increase of 55 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,507 to #17,809.
What does the Census say about the background of Hankey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hankey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (1,361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hankey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (4.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hankey (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 Hankey mean?
English surname transferred from a diminutive of the medieval name Hans or John. 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 Hankey (0.52 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 surname Hankey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.