Show ContentsHoey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hoey

What does the name Hoey mean?

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

Early Origins of the Hoey family

The surname Hoey 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 Hoey family

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

Hoey Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Hoey are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Hoey, O'Hoey, Hoy, Hue, Kehoe, Keogh, MacKeogh and many more.

Early Notables of the Hoey family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

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

Hoey Ranking

In the United States, the name Hoey is the 7,328th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Hoey migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Hoey or a variant listed above:

Hoey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Hoey who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1772
Hoey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Hoey, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1802 2
  • William Hoey, aged 18, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1803 2
  • William Hoey in settled in Charles Town in 1803
  • Owen Hoey, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 2
  • Charles, Dennis, John, Michael, Thomas and William Hoey, all, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1877
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Brien Hoey, who arrived in Canada in 1829
  • Patrick Hoey, who arrived in Canada in 1829
  • Miss. Susan Hoey, aged 15 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Saguenay" departing 5th June 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 22nd August 1847 but she died on board 3
  • Mr. William Hoey, aged 46 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Jessie" departing 18th April 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but he died on board 3

Hoey migration to Australia +

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

Hoey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Hoey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 4
  • Ann Hoey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 4
  • Michael Hoey, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Utopia"

Hoey 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:

Hoey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Andrew Hoey, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "John Scott" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoey (post 1700) +

  • Clyde Roark Hoey (1877-1954), American politician, Governor of North Carolina (1937 to 1941)
  • Allen Hoey (1952-2010), American Pulitzer Prize nominated poet, novelist, and literary critic
  • Walter J. Hoey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1956 6
  • Walter Hoey, American politician, Representative from Delaware at-large, 1970 6
  • Newton P. Hoey, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Murrysville, Pennsylvania, 1922-24 6
  • Joseph P. Hoey, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, 1961-69 6
  • John E. Hoey, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Laconia 1st Ward, 1938 6
  • James J. Hoey, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 13th District, 1907-11; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1924 (alternate), 1928, 1932, 1936 6
  • James F. Hoey, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1928 6
  • Frank E. Hoey, American politician, Mayor of Bozeman, Montana, 1940-41 6
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. James Hoey, Irish Trimmer from Dundalk, Louth, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 7


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 80)
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOFFATT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Moffatt.htm
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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