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Hawkins Family History

Hawkins Surname Meaning

English: variant of Hawkin with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. English: habitational name with excrescent -s from Hawkinge (Kent). The placename derives from the Old English personal name Heafoc or Old English heafoc ‘hawk’ + the placename forming suffix -ing.

This name has been assimilated to the patronymic surname in Devon from Sir John Hawkyns (1532–95) victor against the Spanish Armada (1588) who was a member of the Devon family of Hawkins a branch of a Kentish family from the village of Hawkinge.

They held land in Plymouth as long ago as 1480. Irish: variant of Haughn.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Hawkins family from?

You can see how Hawkins families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hawkins family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hawkins families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 990 Hawkins families living in Ontario. This was about 55% of all the recorded Hawkins's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Hawkins families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hawkins surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Hawkins ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Hawkins. 38% of Hawkins men worked as a Farmer and 16% of Hawkins women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hawkins were Carpenter and Clerk.

View Census Data for Hawkins | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    38%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Laborer
    7%
  • Carpenter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    16%
  • Nurse
    9%
  • Teacher
    9%
  • Clerk
    7%

What Hawkins family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Hawkins. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hawkins census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Hawkins

Passenger Lists

There are 70,000 immigration records available for the last name Hawkins. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Hawkins immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 157,000 military records available for the last name Hawkins. For the veterans among your Hawkins ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hawkins military records

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