Show ContentsHoke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Hoke date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Hoke family lived in Dorset at Hooke, a parish, in the union of Beaminster, hundred of Eggerton, Bridport division. Hooke is also a chapelry, in the parish of Snaith, union of Goole, Lower division of the wapentake of Osgoldcross in the West Ridig of Yorkshire and Hook is a hamlet, in the parish and union of Kingston-Upon-Thames, First division of the hundred of Kingston in Surrey. 1

"Many localities in England bear the name of "the Hook," an expression which is doubtless topographical, though its precise derivation is not known. It is probably allied to the Teutonic hoe, hoh, hoch, Sec., all meaning a hill or elevated place. The surname was written in the XIV. cent. atte Hooke, and this by crasis sometimes became Tooke. It may be mentioned that Hoke, as a personal name, occurs in Saxon times. " 2

The name typically means "place at the hook of land, or bend in a river or hill." 3

Early Origins of the Hoke family

The surname Hoke was first found in Devon where one of the first records of the name was found in 1050-71 in a reference of Old English Bynames of Devon. Later in the Assize Rolls of Lincolnshire, the Latin form of the name, Hervicus and Richard Hoc were listed in 1218. By 1230, the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire had listed John Hook, the first listing of the name as it is more commonly spelt today. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Reginald de le Hoke, Wiltshire, Walter del Hoke, Gloucestershire, and Love del Hok, Oxfordshire. 5

In Somerset, Robert de Hok, Richard atte Hoke, and Robert atte Houk were all listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign). 6

Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Margareta del Hoke, webester, Alexander de Hok, and Willelmus de Hok. 5

To the north in Scotland, "William de Huk was in charge of Thomas Galloway, 1296 and Adam de Huke, was a tenant in "vill" of Moffet, 1376. 7

Early History of the Hoke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoke research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1270, 1275, 1296, 1417, 1575, 1580, 1600, 1618, 1620, 1628, 1635, 1636, 1640, 1642, 1649, 1653, 1655, 1658, 1664, 1672, 1674, 1677, 1681, 1703, 1712, 1716, 1738, 1763 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Hoke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoke Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Hoke are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Hoke include: Hook, Hooke, Hoke and others.

Early Notables of the Hoke family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Reverend Thomas Huyck DCL (died 1575), Chancellor of the Diocese of London; Sir Richard Hook of Scotland; and Humphrey Hooke (1580-1658), a Member of Parliament for Bristol (1640-1642), who supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.William Hook (1600-1677), was a Puritan divine, "said to have been born of respectable parents in Hampshire in 1600; perhaps he was one of the Hooks of Bramshott in that county. He became commoner of Trinity College, Oxford, in 1618, and graduated B.A. in 1620." 8Robert Hooke, FRS (1635-1703), was an English natural...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hoke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoke Ranking

In the United States, the name Hoke is the 4,690th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 9

Ireland Migration of the Hoke family to Ireland

Some of the Hoke family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 182 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hoke migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Hoke or a variant listed above:

Hoke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George Hoke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 10
Hoke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Hoke to Philadelphia in 1856

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoke (post 1700) +

  • William Alexander Hoke (1851-1925), American politician, Chief Justice of North Carolina Supreme Court (1924-1925)
  • Michael Hoke (1874-1944), American leading orthopedic surgeon, Medical Director of the Institution for the Treatment of Infantile Paralysis in Warm Springs, Georgia
  • Martin R. Hoke (b. 1952), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1993-1997)
  • Jacob Hoke (1825-1893), American merchant and businessman from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
  • Jon Hoke (b. 1957), American NFL defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears
  • Eldon Hoke (1958-1997), American musician, nicknamed El Duce
  • Robert Frederick Hoke (1837-1912), American businessman, railroad executive, Confederate Army general during the American Civil War
  • Brady Hoke (b. 1958), American head coach of the University of Michigan football team
  • John F. Hoke, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate, 1850-55; Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Lincoln County, 1860, 1865-66 11
  • Henry Hoke, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate from Lincoln County, 1803-04 11
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Hoke +

  • History of the Hock, (anglicized) Hoke Family, 1405-1990 by Patricia A. Hoke.

  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  7. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  8. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  9. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  10. 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)
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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