2000
#3,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,337
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.09
Rare Last name
Hawks
An English surname referring to a person with hawk-like qualities or a hawker of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,940 Americans carry the last name Hawks. That puts it at #3,968 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,482 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hawks 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 Hawks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,482
Census rank
#3,968
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,668 bearers of the surname Hawks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3968th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawks, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hawks
The surname HAWKS is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hafoc," which means "hawk," a bird of prey. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who exhibited hawk-like characteristics or perhaps worked with hawks as a falconer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HAWKS can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a Robert le Hauek is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "le Hauek," reflects the Norman-French influence on English surnames during this period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379, which lists a John Hawke. The Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332 also mention a William Hauk.
The HAWKS surname is closely associated with certain place names in England, particularly Hawksworth in West Yorkshire and Hawkshead in Cumbria. These places likely derived their names from individuals with the HAWKS surname who may have been landowners or prominent figures in those areas.
One notable figure with the HAWKS surname was Sir John Hawkins (1532-1595), an English naval commander and explorer who was a leading figure in the early English slave trade and Elizabethan maritime expansion. Another significant individual was Francis Hawkins (1628-1701), an English philosopher and author known for his work "The Compleat Angler."
Other historical figures bearing the HAWKS surname include Francis Hawkins (1794-1878), an English architect and surveyor, and John Hawkins (1719-1789), an English novelist and writer best known for his work "The Life of Samuel Johnson."
Throughout history, the HAWKS surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Hawke, Hauke, Hauck, and Hauk, reflecting regional and phonetic variations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hawks
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawks, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hawks 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 Hawks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 7,591
- Black or African American4.3% · 370
- Two or more races4.0% · 348
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 245
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hawks
Hawks 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
#4,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,639
+302 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 188 places
2020
#3,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,668
+29 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Up 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,917 | 8,337 | 3.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,105 | 8,639 | 2.93 | +302 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 188 places |
| 2020 | #3,968 | 8,668 | 2.90 | +29 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 137 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 Hawks 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 | #4,105 | #3,968 | 3.3% |
| Count | 8,639 | 8,668 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.93 | 2.90 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hawks bearers went from 8,639 to 8,668 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,105 to #3,968.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hawks
FAQ
Hawks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hawks?
Name Census estimates that about 9,940 living Americans carry the surname Hawks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,482 residents.
How common is Hawks?
Hawks ranks #3,968 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,668 people with the surname Hawks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hawks.
Has Hawks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hawks went from 8,639 recorded bearers to 8,668. That is an increase of 29 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,105 to #3,968.
What does the Census say about the background of Hawks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawks, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Hawks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (7,591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hawks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Hawks (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 Hawks mean?
An English surname referring to a person with hawk-like qualities or a hawker of goods. 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 Hawks (2.90 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 Americans have the surname Hawks?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.