Surname Houk - Meaning and Origin
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Houk: What does the surname Houk mean?
The last name Houk is an occupational surname of Germanic origin. It is derived from the Middle High German word “hut” meaning “cottage” or “hut”. The earliest occurrences of this surname are found in the Germanic states of the medieval period, when people began to adopt hereditary surnames.
Houk is often a spelling variant of the surname Hube, which has the same Germanic origin. It is also sometimes found as a variant of Hoke or Howe.
The surname Houk likely originated as a descriptor for someone who lived in or worked from a cottage or small dwelling. It could also refer to someone who owned a lot of lands and was known as ‘the Houk’. In some cases, it may have been used to describe a peasant or farmer who lived in a small wooden structure.
The early history of the Houk surname can be traced back to Germany during the Middle Ages. The name was adopted by German immigrants who arrived in the United States during the 19th century. Today, it is most commonly found in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa.
Houk is an occupational surname which means “cottage” or “hut.” It is generally considered a Germanic name and it was likely used to describe someone who lived or worked from a small dwelling. It remains a fairly common surname in the United States today, particularly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa.
Order DNA origin analysisHouk: Where does the name Houk come from?
The surname “Houk” is common today mainly in the United States. It is an Americanized version of the German surnames “Hoch, Houck, Huck, or Hux”, meaning “high” or “high hill”. The earliest known Houk immigrants to the US may have come from parts of Hannover around 1750. Since then, Houks have spread to all parts of the country with a large concentration in the Midwest, including New York and Pennsylvania.
In 2020, Collins Dictionary defined Houk as a ‘frequent spelling variant of Hoeck, Hoch, and Huck’. Houk is also the most commonly used spelling variant.
The distribution of the Houk surname today is mostly concentrated in the US. The Social Security Administration (SSA) data shows 27,300 people with the Houk surname living in the US as of the 2000 Census. The Houk surname is most popular in Pennsylvania and New York, with 1,500 people each in those states. The Houk surname is also found in other parts of the US, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.
Houks have played a role in the US’s history, including Thomas William Houk serving in World War I with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during 1918. Houks have also excelled in the fields of art, business, science, and medicine.
The Houk surname has been used for several generations and though its geographical distribution has shifted over time, it remains a popular surname among many American families to this day.
Variations of the surname Houk
The surname Houk is most commonly found among immigrants to the United States from northern Europe, primarily Germany and the Netherlands. It is derived from the German surname "Hauck," which itself is derived from the German word "Hake," meaning "hook" or "bend in a river." The variants and spellings of Houk include Hauck, Hoke, and Hauk. Additionally, there are variant surnames of the same origin, such as Hook, Hooker, Hooke, Hooge, Hokee, Houg, and Hauke.
The earliest record of the Houk surname was documented in the 1500s in the German city of Jena. It is believed to originate from the region of Thuringia in central Germany.
In the United States, the surname Houk can be found in German-American records from the mid to late-1800s. Immigrants to American shores included settlers from the Dutch provinces of Groningen, Friesland, and Gelderland. With its German and Dutch roots, the Houk surname is most commonly found in the mid-western states, particularly in Wisconsin.
The Houk name is also found in the United Kingdom and Canada, with the earliest British record of the name being in West Yorkshire, in the city of Leeds in the early 19th century. It is predominantly found in England, Scotland, and Wales today.
In Canada, the surname is also found primarily among those of German and Dutch descent, and can be found in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
No matter the origin or spelling, the surname Houk (or its variants and surnames of the same origin) is indicative of the family's northern European ancestry.
Famous people with the name Houk
- Ralph Houk: Major League Baseball player, manager, and executive.
- Ellen Houk: Astronaut and physician.
- Jim Houk: Actor and bodybuilder.
- Kristy Houk: Singer-songwriter.
- William Howard Houk: World War II Medal of Honor recipient.
- George Houk: World War I Medal of Honor recipient.
- Forest M. Houk: U.S. Representative from Ohio.
- Mike Houk: Major League Baseball coach.
- Elmer J. Houk: U.S. Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient.
- Peter Houk: U.S. Air Force Colonel and pilot.
- Jacob Houk: U.S. Army soldier and decorated veteran of the Korean War.
- Arthur Houk: Vice admiral in the United States Navy.
- Gary Houk: Diplomat and U.S. Ambassador to Belarus.
- John Houk: U.S. Army Colonel and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War.
- Joe J. Houk: U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general and commanding general of the 3rd Marine Division.
- William G. Houk: U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.
- Herbert Frank Houk: United States Army Air Forces colonel and recipient of the Legion of Merit.
- Glenn Houk: U.S. Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot.
- Robert W. Houk: Major general in the United States Air Force.
- John S. Houk: United States Air Force four-star general and former commander of Air Force Space Command.