2000
#3,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.53
Uncommon Last name
Hoy
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or steep ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,010 Americans carry the last name Hoy. That puts it at #3,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,241 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoy 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 Hoy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,241
Census rank
#3,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,729 bearers of the surname Hoy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoy
The surname Hoy has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the early medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "achadh," which means "field" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have originally been a place name or a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near or on a field or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1266, where it is spelled "Hog." This spelling variation is thought to be an anglicized version of the original Gaelic form. Over time, the spelling evolved further to become "Hoy," which is the more common modern spelling.
The name Hoy can be found in various historical records throughout Scotland, particularly in the regions of Fife, Angus, and Perthshire. In the 16th century, a notable figure named David Hoy (c. 1550-1612) was a Scottish minister and scholar who served as the minister of Dysart in Fife.
Another significant bearer of the name was Sir James Hoy (1655-1717), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist. He was born in Cupar, Fife, and made his fortune in trade with the Low Countries. He endowed several schools and hospitals in Cupar and was knighted by King William III in 1693.
In the 18th century, William Hoy (1768-1839) was a prominent Scottish painter and engraver. He was born in Perth and is known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which are held in the National Galleries of Scotland.
Moving into the 19th century, Thomas Hoy (1816-1899) was a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman. He emigrated to Australia in the 1840s and became a successful merchant and land speculator in Melbourne. He served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1856 to 1871.
Another notable figure was James Hoy (1885-1976), a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Celtic and Falkirk. He was part of the Celtic team that won the Scottish Cup in 1907 and 1908.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Hoy, which has its roots in the ancient fields and meadows of Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoy
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoy 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 Hoy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 7,226
- Black or African American5.0% · 436
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 393
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 360
- Two or more races3.2% · 282
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoy
Hoy 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
#3,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,196
-326 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 418 places
2020
#3,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,729
-467 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,437 | 9,522 | 3.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,855 | 9,196 | 3.12 | -326 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 418 places |
| 2020 | #3,948 | 8,729 | 2.92 | -467 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 93 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 Hoy 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 | #3,855 | #3,948 | -2.4% |
| Count | 9,196 | 8,729 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 2.92 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoy bearers went from 9,196 to 8,729 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,855 to #3,948.
FAQ
Hoy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoy?
Name Census estimates that about 10,010 living Americans carry the surname Hoy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,241 residents.
How common is Hoy?
Hoy ranks #3,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.92 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 8,729 people with the surname Hoy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.92 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 Hoy.
Has Hoy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoy went from 9,196 recorded bearers to 8,729. That is a decrease of 467 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,855 to #3,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Hoy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (7,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (5.0%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Hoy (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 Hoy mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or steep ridge. 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 Hoy (2.92 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 share the surname Hoy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.