Explore the Family Name Hooker

The meaning of Hooker

English (southeastern): 1. occupational name for a hook maker, from Middle English, Old English hōcere, possibly also used for an agricultural laborer who used hooks. In some cases the name may have become Hocker. 2. topographic name for a ‘dweller by a hill spur or bend’, from Middle English hoke ‘hook, river bend, hill spur’ + -er (see Hook 1). History: Congregational clergyman Thomas Hooker (1586?–1647) sailed from England with John Cotton and Samuel Stone and arrived in Boston in 1633. He led the 1635 migration of most of his congregation to Hartford in the Connecticut Valley. Thomas is the earliest known entrant, but the name Hooker is common and was also introduced independently by others during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Hooker in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Hooker saw a slight dip in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 2017th most common surname, slipping to 2185th by 2010, marking an 8.33% decline. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Hooker surname slightly increased during this period, from 16,479 to 16,646, a rise of 1.01%. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 also decreased by 7.69%, moving from 6.11 to 5.64.

20002010Change
Rank#2,017#2,185-8.33%
Count16,47916,6461.01%
Proportion per 100k6.115.64-7.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hooker

The ethnic identity associated with the Hooker surname showed interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest ethnicity identified as white, accounting for 73.00% in 2000, but dropping slightly to 70.27% by 2010. The second largest ethnic identity was black, which increased by 5.72%, going from 22.36% to 23.64%. Notably, some smaller groups saw significant percentage increases over the decade: those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander grew by 43.33%, and Hispanic identification rose by 33.20%. The number of people identifying as two or more races also saw an increase, rising from 1.49% to 2.02%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category experienced a minor decrease, dropping from 0.44% to 0.43%.

20002010Change
White73%70.27%-3.74%
Black22.36%23.64%5.72%
Hispanic2.41%3.21%33.2%
Two or More Races1.49%2.02%35.57%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.3%0.43%43.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.44%0.43%-2.27%

Hooker ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Hooker is British & Irish, which comprises 53.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.8%) and Scandinavian (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, Indigenous American, and Italian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish53.5%
French & German23.8%
Scandinavian4.2%
Other18.5%
Hooker

Possible origins of the surname Hooker

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Hooker have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom87.30%
Merseyside, United Kingdom87.30%
Greater London, United Kingdom87.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom87.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom86.70%

What Hooker haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Hooker is Q-M971, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup Q-M971 is descended from haplogroup Q-M242. Other common haplogroups include R-V75.2 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Williamson, Baker, Nieto, Hill, Harrison, Stevenson, Fox, Heath, Lowe, Norman.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hooker surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

hookerPaternal Haplogroup Origins Q-M242

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Hooker have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Hooker

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Hooker" Surname 40.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Hooker

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Hooker" Surname 26.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Hooker

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Hooker" Surname 21.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Hooker

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Hooker" Surname 19.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Hooker?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Hooker are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%