2000
#16,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Hooley
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hUallacháin referring to someone from County Sligo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,053 Americans carry the last name Hooley. That puts it at #15,710 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,953 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hooley 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 Hooley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,953
Census rank
#15,710
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,790 bearers of the surname Hooley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15710th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hooley
The surname Hooley is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "hol," meaning a hollow or depression in the ground, and the suffix "-ley," which means a clearing or meadow. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a hollow or depression in a meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a Thomas de Holeye is mentioned. The "de" prefix indicates that the name was likely originally a locational surname, referring to someone from a specific place.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various records with slightly different spellings, such as Holley, Holey, and Holle. This variation in spelling was common during this time period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable bearer of the Hooley surname was John Hooley, a 16th-century English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel in Cornwall during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another person of historical significance was William Hooley, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who wrote several religious texts, including "A Modest Defence of the Solemn League and Covenant" (1644).
In the 18th century, the name appears in various parish records across England, including in the county of Lancashire, where a family of Hooleys resided in the town of Ormskirk.
One of the more famous bearers of the Hooley surname was Sir William Hooley (1780-1854), a British businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the coal industry. He was knighted for his contributions to the city of Sheffield and his support of various charitable causes.
Another notable figure was Thomas Hooley (1824-1898), a British engineer and inventor who held several patents for improvements to steam engines and other industrial machinery.
Overall, the surname Hooley has a long and diverse history in England, with bearers hailing from various regions and backgrounds, including politicians, clergymen, industrialists, and inventors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hooley
Among Census respondents with the surname Hooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hooley 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 Hooley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,642
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 77
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hooley
Hooley 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
#16,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,761
+126 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#15,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,790
+29 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,238 | 1,635 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,359 | 1,761 | 0.60 | +126 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #15,710 | 1,790 | 0.60 | +29 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 649 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 Hooley 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 | #16,359 | #15,710 | 4.0% |
| Count | 1,761 | 1,790 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.60 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hooley bearers went from 1,761 to 1,790 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 649 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,359 to #15,710.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hooley
FAQ
Hooley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hooley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,053 living Americans carry the surname Hooley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,953 residents.
How common is Hooley?
Hooley ranks #15,710 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,790 people with the surname Hooley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,053), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Hooley.
Has Hooley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hooley went from 1,761 recorded bearers to 1,790. That is an increase of 29 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,359 to #15,710.
What does the Census say about the background of Hooley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hooley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,642 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hooley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hooley (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 Hooley mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hUallacháin referring to someone from County Sligo. 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 Hooley (0.60 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 Hooley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.