Hoag
A surname usually explained as a Welsh nickname for a short or small person.
The #5,173 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 45,727 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The 19th-century source given here explains Hoag as Welsh and glosses it as meaning “low in stature” or “small.” That makes it a nickname surname based on a physical characteristic rather than a place or occupation. The same source links it with Hogg, suggesting that in some traditions the two may have been treated as related or variant forms.
History
The surname is relatively uncommon in the United States today, but it has been recorded in English-language surname lists for well over a century. Because the documentary tradition is brief and partly cross-referential, its exact pathway into surname use is not entirely clear. In practice, Hoag may sometimes overlap in spelling history with Hogg or similar forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A period dictionary explicitly defined Hoag as Welsh and “low in stature, small,” which is a very old-fashioned way of describing a nickname surname.
From the historical record
“HITCHENS. Local A town in Hertfordshire, England. HOAG. (Welsh.) Low in stature, small HO ARE. White, hoar, gray. HOBART. The same as Hubert (which see). OF FAMILY NAMES. ' 161 HOBBS. From Hob, the nick-name for Robert. HOBBY. (Dan.) Local. From hob, a herd, and by, a town ;”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names