Show ContentsHookey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hookey is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a person who made hooks or an agricultural worker who used hooks. The name Hookey was also applied to someone who lived near a bend or hill-spur. The surname Hookey is derived from the Old English word hoc, which means hook. [1]

"The original name of the family was Vowell, but in the fifteenth century members of it called themselves Vowell alias Hooker or Hoker, and in the sixteenth century the original name was generally dropped." [2]

One other source confirms this name change, but it should be noted that only one branch did so. "The original name was Vowell or Fowell, and the family had been seated at Fowelscombe t. Henry IV. or earlier; and a younger son marrying an heiress assumed the name of Hooker." [3]

Early Origins of the Hookey family

The surname Hookey was first found in the source Liber Elienis where Osmundus cognomento Hocere was recorded c. 975. From this earliest entry in Latin and in Saxon times, we move to Norfolk where William, Osbert Hoker(e) was found in the Pipe Rolls of 1199, and later in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1219. John le Hoker, le Houker was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327 and 1332. [4]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 revealed Robert le Hoker, Kent; and Hugh Hoker, Norfolk. [5]

Early History of the Hookey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hookey research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1490, 1493, 1526, 1529, 1537, 1553, 1554, 1558, 1586, 1600, 1601 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Hookey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hookey Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Hookey include Hooker, Hookers and others.

Early Notables of the Hookey family

Notables of the family at this time include John Hooker alias Vowell (1526?-1601), English antiquary and Chamberlain of Exeter, born there in or about 1526, being the second son of Robert Hooker, who was Mayor of Exeter in 1529. [2]Richard Hooker (1554?-1600) was a noted English theologian who wrote "The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity." he was born at Heavitree, Exeter, probably in March 1553-4. The original name of the family was Vowell, but in the fifteenth century members of it called themselves Vowell alias Hooker or Hoker, and in the sixteenth century...
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hookey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hookey migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Hookey were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Hookey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Albert Hookey, aged 39, who landed in America from Isle of Wight, in 1892
Hookey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Edward Arthur Hookey, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States from Brighton, in 1909
  • Robert George Hookey, aged 41, who landed in America, in 1920
  • Thomas Hookey, aged 41, who immigrated to the United States, in 1920

Canada Hookey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hookey Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Jessie Hookey, aged 34, who settled in St.Catherines, Ontario Canada, in 1919
  • Linda Hookey, aged 10, who immigrated to St. Catherines, Ontario Canada, in 1919
  • Velma Hookey, aged 6, who immigrated to St. Catherines, Ontario Canada, in 1919
  • Gertrude Hookey, aged 24, who immigrated to Belle Isle, Newfoundland, in 1922
  • Robert Hookey, aged 24, who settled in Belle Isle, Newfoundland in 1922

Contemporary Notables of the name Hookey (post 1700) +

  • Lee Hookey (b. 1979), Australian rugby league player
  • Scott Gregory Hookey (b. 1967), Australian cricketer
  • Gordon Hookey (b. 1961), Australian aboriginal artist
  • Anna Hookey Hughes, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly, 1940 (New York County 19th District), 1944 (New York County 11th District)


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  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)


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