Welcome to the Hocking/Hocken/Hockin/Hockins worldwide DNA project. Anyone with these variations of the surname is invited to participate (Hawkins/Hawken is a separate FTDNA project).

We have at least seven distinct unrelated families represented. Most of the families originated in Cornwall, where the surname arose during the 16^th Century or earlier.

Outline Hocking etc pedigrees for the project participants can be found on the Results page, with notes as to the different YDNA haplogroups involved.

A Hocking one-name study is registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies in London. There is an associated website containing information about various lines.  As well there is a private Hocking Family History Facebook page for people wanting to share information.

The DNA project mostly Y-DNA tests, which tells you about your direct male line, that is, your father, your father's father, your father's father's father, and so on back in time. Only males have a Y chromosome, so if you are female, you will need to ask a male Hocking relative to take a test on your behalf.

The project is also collecting Family Finder results from both males and females with Hocking etc anywhere in their family tree over the last five generations.

The privacy of project members is respected at all times. The  group administrator strictly adheres to the Group Administrator Guidelines for Family Tree DNA Projects and the ISOGG Project Administrator Guidelines. See also the Family Tree DNA Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and the Learning Center pages on DNA Group Projects.

THE HOCKING SURNAME
Why so many lines?

Like other Celtic areas, Cornwall operated on the patronymic naming system throughout the Middle Ages. This system is still used in many parts of the world - in which individuals are known by a personal name and the name of their father or other signifier. This is not hereditary - a man might be known as John Williams, and his son known as William Johns. The Normans slowly introduced the idea of hereditary surnames as part of the feudal system, but this was slow to get started in Cornwall. Eventually, to facilitate collecting Tudor taxes in the 1500s, the tax collectors gave every family a permanent surname, so John Williams passed "Williams" now down to his son.

The first name Hockyn was popular in Cornwall in the early 1500s, as was Jenkin, Tomkin and Dicken. Hockyn was actually Hugh-kin,  the first born son of Hugh. 

In the 1525 tax register, Hockyns could be found all over Cornwall. In the West it was a first name, in the East it was probably already a surname. 

Five different men in different parts of West Cornwall are shown that had the first name Hockyn. Some of their sons adopted Hockyn as a surname. 

There were accordingly quite a number of unrelated Hockyn lines, with different DNA.

The HOCKING name is common in Cornwall and considerably more men will need to Y-test to scope out the whole surname. 

Hockings are strongly invited to join - to check out which family they belong to, and to assist with research into the HOCKING name.