Show ContentsHawkes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hawkes is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the Old English personal name Hafoc, which means hawk. But, the surname also evolved from a nickname, for someone with a Hawk-like, or "wild" disposition. [1] [2] [3]

It may also be an occupational surname given to a "hawker" or someone who held land in exchange for providing hawks to a lord. [4]

Lastly, the surname Hawkes may be a local surname given to someone who lived in a nook or corner; in this case, the surname is derived from the Old English word halke, which means nook or corner.

On the more romantic side, one reference claims the name derives from the "bird: allusive to keenness of disposition." [2]

Early Origins of the Hawkes family

The surname Hawkes was first found in Hampshire where Hauok was found in 1066 at Winton. Roger Hauech was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Dorset in 1176 and later, Robert Hauk was found in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1269. Walter le Hauek was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. [4]

This same source has another interesting entry: "Osbertus filius Hauoc c1115 [who was found as an Old English Byname in Oxfordshire] is probably to be identified with Osbern Hauoc (ibid.). His father bore the OE name of Hafoc 'hawk'." [4]

In 1130 the Pipe Rolls list Ralph Hauoc who owed the exchequer two 'Girfals', gerfalcons or hawks. Other early record from the same source include: William del Halk who was found in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1188; Adam de Halk in the Assize Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1260; and William atte Halk and Alan Hauke in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. [4]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one listing for the name, that of Jocelin de Hawke, but no county was provided. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Records of 1379 list: Thomas Hauke; Thomas Hauke, cottier; Adam Hawke; and Johannes Hawke. [3]

Early History of the Hawkes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawkes research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1577, 1601, 1703, 1705, 1718, 1719, 1720, 1722, 1725, 1727, 1747, 1752, 1759 and 1781 are included under the topic Early Hawkes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawkes Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hawkes has undergone many spelling variations, including Hawk, Hawke, Hawkes, Hauk, Hauke and others.

Early Notables of the Hawkes family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Edward Hawke (1705-1781), British admiral, 1st Baron Hawke of Towton, county Yorkshire. He was "born in London in 1705, was only son of Edward Hawke, barrister, of Lincoln's Inn. His father's family was settled for many generations at Treriven in Cornwall. In 1718 his father died, and Hawke, left the ward of his uncle, Martin Bladen, entered the navy on 20 Feb. 1719 as a volunteer on board the Seahorse, commanded by Captain Thomas Durell...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hawkes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawkes World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hawkes is the 6,488th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [5] However, in New Zealand, the name Hawkes is ranked the 967th most popular surname with an estimated 773 people with that name. [6] And in the United Kingdom, the name Hawkes is the 941st popular surname with an estimated 7,376 people with that name. [7]

Ireland Migration of the Hawkes family to Ireland

Some of the Hawkes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hawkes migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hawkes were among those contributors:

Hawkes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ellin Hawkes, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" [8]
  • Mary Hawkes, aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" [8]
  • William Hawkes, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1635 [8]
  • Ellin Hawkes, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 [8]
  • Edmond Hawkes, who landed in Virginia in 1650 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hawkes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jeffery Hawkes, who landed in Virginia in 1701 [8]
Hawkes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Hawkes, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1812 [8]
  • N Hawkes, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [8]
  • Mr. Hawkes, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 [8]
  • Alfred Hawkes, aged 6, who landed in New York in 1862 [8]
  • Annie Hawkes, aged 7, who arrived in New York in 1862 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Hawkes migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hawkes Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Robert Hawkes, who landed in Prince Edward Island in 1817

Australia Hawkes migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hawkes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Hawkes, (b. 1808), aged 18, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [9]
  • Mr. John Hawkes who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [10]
  • Mr. John Hawkes, (b. 1817), aged 21, Irish ploughman born in Cork who was convicted in Walsall, Staffordshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1894 [11]
  • William Hawkes, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cleveland" in 1839 [12]
  • Mr. Jonathan Hawkes, English convict who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [13]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Hawkes migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hawkes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • George Hawkes, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840
  • Robert Hawkes, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
  • Sarah Hawkes, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
  • Ann Hawkes, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 [14]
  • Caroline A. Hawkes, aged 28, a housekeeper, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rangitikei" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Hawkes (post 1700) +

  • W. Hawkes, American politician, Mayor of Salina, Kansas, 1956-57 [15]
  • Travis Hawkes, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Idaho, 2012 [15]
  • Ted Hawkes, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1960 [15]
  • Pollyanne Hawkes, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 2012 [15]
  • M. A. Hawkes, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 6th District, 1873 [15]
  • John Hawkes, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1972 [15]
  • James Hawkes (1776-1865), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Otsego County, 1819-20; U.S. Representative from New York 15th District, 1821-23 [15]
  • George A. Hawkes, American politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives from Sagadahoc County (2nd), 1931-32 [15]
  • Elizabeth Hawkes, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Senate 11th District, 1950; Member of Wisconsin Democratic State Central Committee, 1954 [15]
  • Albert Wahl Hawkes (1878-1971), American Republican politician, U.S. Senator from New Jersey, 1943-49; Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1944 [15]
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. Sydney William Hawkes (1919-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Narrogin, Western Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking [16]


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
  12. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CLEVELAND 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Cleveland.htm
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  16. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp


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