2000
#822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.22
Uncommon Last name
Hahn
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "hane," meaning "rooster," likely referring to a rooster breeder or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,098 Americans carry the last name Hahn. That puts it at #864 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hahn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hahn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,600
Census rank
#864
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,328 bearers of the surname Hahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 864th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hahn
The surname HAHN originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "Hahn," which means "rooster" or "cock." This likely indicates that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who was thought to resemble a rooster in some way, perhaps due to their appearance or behavior.
The name HAHN can be found in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony dating back to the 12th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in a document from 1191, which mentions a person named "Henricus dictus Hahn" (Henry called Hahn).
In the 13th century, the name HAHN appeared in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Goslar, a collection of documents from the city of Goslar in Lower Saxony. This record mentions a "Conradus Hahn" (Conrad Hahn) in 1236.
During the 14th century, the name HAHN was found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from Brandenburg. One entry from 1367 refers to a "Johannes Hahn" (John Hahn).
Notable people with the surname HAHN throughout history include:
1. Albrecht Hahn (1809-1887), a German painter and illustrator.
2. Philipp Matthäus Hahn (1739-1790), a German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Ingolstadt.
3. Johann Georg Hahn (1811-1869), a German missionary and linguist who worked in Namibia.
4. Otto Hahn (1879-1968), a German chemist and pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and nuclear fission, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944.
5. Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947), a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, and music critic.
While the surname HAHN has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various other countries and regions around the world due to migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hahn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 34,155
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 2,399
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,233
- Two or more races3.1% · 1,200
- Black or African American0.6% · 227
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hahn
Hahn appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,250
+1,896 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 13.65
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,328
-922 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 13.16
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #822 | 38,354 | 14.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #859 | 40,250 | 13.65 | +1,896 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #864 | 39,328 | 13.16 | -922 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 5 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hahn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #859 | #864 | -0.6% |
| Count | 40,250 | 39,328 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 13.65 | 13.16 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hahn bearers went from 40,250 to 39,328 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #859 to #864.
FAQ
Hahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hahn?
Name Census estimates that about 45,098 living Americans carry the surname Hahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,600 residents.
How common is Hahn?
Hahn ranks #864 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,328 people with the surname Hahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Hahn.
Has Hahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hahn went from 40,250 recorded bearers to 39,328. That is a decrease of 922 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #859 to #864.
What does the Census say about the background of Hahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (34,155 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hahn (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hahn mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "hane," meaning "rooster," likely referring to a rooster breeder or seller. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hahn (13.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Hahn?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hahn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.