Contents [hide]

Hoy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Hoy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The Hoy surname is a local name derived from the name of the Orkney island of Hoy, written in the 13th as "Haey," meaning "high island." Hoy is the second largest island in the Orkney Islands, located off the northeastern coast of Scotland. There is also thought to have been a place so named near the England-Scotland border, but it no longer exists. 1

Early Origins of the Hoy family

The surname Hoy was first found in the region of the Orkney Islands (Gaelic: Insi Orc, “Island of the wild pigs”), the historic, northernmost island region of Scotland and early Pictish land, which came to be a stronghold of the Vikings in the 9th century.

According to Black, there are two possible origins in Scotland: Jhone Hoye of Colmesliehill, 1607, and Jasper Hoye, who was found there in the following year. Peter Hoy in Newhouses, 1653, from the Borders; and the Orkney surname is also of local origin, from the island of Hoy (c. 1225 Haey high island). 1

While most people hail from Scotland, to the south in England, Yorkshire was an early stronghold for the family. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Adamdel Hoy; Hugo del Hoy, 1379; and Robertus del Hoye, carnifex. 2

Still further to the south, we found John le Hoy registered in Wiltshire in 1255, Richard Hoye in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1278; and Robert le Hoy in the Subsidy Rolls for Cumbria (Cumberland) in 1327. 3

Early History of the Hoy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoy research. Another 33 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1607, 1653, 1659, 1675, 1680, 1684, 1686, 1689, 1698, 1718 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hoy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoy Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hoy, Haey, Hooy and others.

Early Notables of the Hoy family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Thomas Hoy (1659-1718), an English physician and poet...
He was born on 12 December 1659 (School Reg.), and was the son of Clement Hoy of London...

Hoy Ranking

In the United States, the name Hoy is the 3,484^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Hoy family to Ireland

Some of the Hoy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoy migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ralph Hoy, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1724-1725 5
Hans Jerrick Hoy, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "William and Sarah" 5
John Hoy, who was naturalized in Philadelphia in 1760
William Hoy, who was naturalized in Ohio in 1792

Hoy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Hoy, who was registered as a British Alien in the US during the war of 1812
David Hoy, aged 33, who landed in New York in 1812 5
John Hoy, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 5
Sibby Hoy, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 5
A. T. Hoy settled in San Francisco, California in 1850
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Daniel Hoy, aged 25 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In August 1847 6
Miss. Margaret Hoy, aged 5 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Progress" departing from the port of New Ross, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle In July 1847 7
Miss. Phoeby Hoy, aged 2 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Numa" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle In August 1847 7
Mr. William Hoy, aged 38 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Araminta" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In July 1847 7
Ms. Cecily Hoy, aged 22 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Virginius" departing 28th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th August 1847 but she died on board 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoy migration to Australia +

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

Hoy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Hoy, British Convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Hoy, British Convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Thomas Hoy, English convict from Hertfordshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Mr. John Hoy, British Convict who was convicted in Bermuda for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. John Hoy, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoy 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:

Hoy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Jessie Hoy, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 14
Thomas Hoy, aged 17, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Nations" in 1874
William Hoy, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoy (post 1700) +

Robert Francis "Bobby" Hoy (1927-2010), American actor, stuntman and director who appeared in more than 67 films
William Harry Hoy (b. 1955), American film editor, known for his work on 300 (2006), Watchmen (2009) and I, Robot (2004)
Peter Alexander Hoy (b. 1966), American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
Jill Hoy, American visual artist
William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy, American Baseball player
James P. Hoy, American politician, Representative from Michigan 11th District, 1972 15
James Hoy Jr., American politician, Postmaster at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1844-45 15
Frank Hoy, American politician, Member of South Dakota State Senate 12th District, 1923-24 15
John H. Van Hoy, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Virginia, 1972 16
John Carter Van Hoy (b. 1958), American Republican politician, Geologist; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 2004, 2008 16
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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. 34)
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. 35)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html