Show ContentsHoe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Hoe originally appeared in Gaelic as "O hEochaidh" or "Mac Eochaidh," derived from an Irish personal name "Eachaidh," meaning a "horseman."

Early Origins of the Hoe family

The surname Hoe was first found in Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times at Ballymackeogh, and were descended from the MacKeoghs who in turn were descended from their eponymous ancestor Eochaidh O'Kelly one of the ancient Kings of Ui Maine.

Early History of the Hoe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoe research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1534, 1653, 1725, 1798, 1828 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Hoe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoe Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Hoe family name include Hoey, O'Hoey, Hoy, Hue, Kehoe, Keogh, MacKeogh and many more.

Early Notables of the Hoe family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

  • Maolmuire MacKeogh, sometimes called Hoey, Chief Professor of Poetry in Leinster in 1534


United States Hoe migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Hoe to North America:

Hoe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Rice Hoe, who landed in Virginia in 1638 1
  • C. Hoe, who sailed to Virginia in 1655
Hoe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George Hoe, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 1
  • Martin Hoe, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 1
Hoe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Hoe, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 1
  • Mary and Richard Hoe to New York in 1820 with five children

Australia Hoe migration to Australia +

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

Hoe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

West Indies Hoe migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3
Hoe Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John Hoe went to Barbados in 1694

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoe (post 1700) +

  • James C Hoe Ph.D., American Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
  • Lucius Hoe Jr., American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1916 4
  • Mr. John Hoe, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1692 to 1693
  • Miss Karen Hoe O.B.E., British Parent Participation Coordinator and Volunteer for National Network of Parent Carer Forums, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 5
  • Hunt Hoe, Canadian filmmaker
  • Richard March Hoe, 19th century inventor, whose innovations in the field of printing made modern day journalism possible
  • Mr. James Hoe, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1722 to 1723


  1. 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)
  2. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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