Hoke
An English surname that likely began as a nickname or topographic name tied to a nook, bend, or hook-shaped place.
The #3,901 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,943 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hoke is usually explained from an English word for a nook, corner, or hook-like bend, especially in a landscape feature such as a lane, valley, or hollow. It may also reflect a very old personal name: one source notes Hoke as a Saxon name, which could have fed later surname use. In either case, the core sense is something bent, tucked away, or hook-shaped.
History
Medieval records cited by early surname scholars show forms like de le Hoke and del Hoke in several English counties in the 13th and 14th centuries. That points to early topographic use, though the name may also have been reinforced by an older personal name of the same form. The surname later survives in England and, through emigration, in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One early source quotes a Saxon-era personal name Hoke in Beowulf, suggesting the surname’s history may be older than its medieval records.
From the historical record
“hook,' from residence in tlie bend or sudden turn of a lane or valley ; cf. Hooker (a). ' Hoke, a nook or corner. Kennelt' (quoted by Halli- WeU) ; cf. Horn (3). Reginald de Ir Hoke, co. Wilu,”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances