Hockessin is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,902 at the 2000 census. It is pronounced /ˈhoʊkɛsɨn/. The place name may be derived from the Lenape word "hòkèsa" meaning "pieces of bark" or from a misspelling of "occasion," as pronounced by the Quakers who settled the area originally.