The Population of Hawaiʻi from Initial Settlement to Cook’s Visits in 1778 and the Post-Contact Year of 1850

Abstract

There are no comprehensive sets of population estimates associated with the generally accepted “cultural periods” established by archeological work that are believed to have occurred between the initial settlement of Hawaiʻi and Cook’s visits in 1778. We present a series of scenario-based population estimates for these periods. In evaluating these estimates, we are inclined to accept the two scenarios based, respectively, on 1778 estimates of 450,000 and 683,000. We suggest subsequent research that is aimed at the generation of age-related information from 1778 back to the initial settlement of Hawaiʻi circa AD 1000. This would provide the foundation needed for determining the likely demographic path from first settlement to 1850, one that not only consistent with the archaeological evidence, the historical record, and demographic dynamics but provides a demographic foundation for a discussion involving sovereignty, a topic at the heart of social justice in regard to the Hawai’ian people and their descendants.

Keywords: Population of Hawaii

DOI: 10.7176/HRL/57-01

Publication date: April 30^th 2026