2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hambach
A locational surname referring to someone from Hambach, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Hambach. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hambach 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.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Hambach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hambach
The surname HAMBACH originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Low German word "ham," meaning a bend or curve, and "bach," meaning a stream or brook. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a bend in a stream or creek.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name HAMBACH dates back to 1292, when a person named Henricus de Hambach was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne. This document refers to a land transaction involving Henricus, indicating that the surname was already established at that time.
During the 14th century, the name HAMBACH appeared in various manuscripts and records throughout the Rhineland region of Germany. One notable example is the mention of Johannes Hambach in the records of the town of Neuss in 1364.
In the 15th century, the name HAMBACH began to spread beyond the Rhineland area. In 1487, a person named Hans Hambach was listed in the records of the city of Nuremberg, suggesting that the name had reached other parts of Germany.
One of the earliest known bearers of the HAMBACH surname was Konrad Hambach, a German painter and engraver who lived between 1490 and 1562. He was known for his woodcuts and engravings, which often depicted religious and mythological scenes.
Another notable figure with the surname HAMBACH was Johann Philipp Hambach (1737-1825), a German politician and lawyer who was involved in the early stages of the French Revolution. He served as a member of the National Assembly and played a role in drafting the French Constitution of 1791.
In the 19th century, the HAMBACH surname gained prominence with Gustav Hambach (1807-1877), a German writer and revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Hambach Festival of 1832, a pivotal event in the early German democratic movement.
Another significant bearer of the HAMBACH name was Friedrich Hambach (1856-1936), a German-American inventor and engineer. He is credited with developing the first successful electric locomotive, which he unveiled at the Berlin Industrial Exposition in 1879.
Finally, Karl Hambach (1896-1945) was a German military officer who served in World War I and World War II. He was awarded the prestigious Iron Cross for his service during World War I and later held the rank of Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) in the Wehrmacht during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hambach
Among Census respondents with the surname Hambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hambach 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 Hambach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hambach
Hambach 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-5 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,371 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-14 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,555 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -5 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 11,371 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 14,555 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 Hambach 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 | #127,494 | #142,049 | -11.4% |
| Count | 134 | 120 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hambach bearers went from 134 to 120 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 14,555 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #142,049.
FAQ
Hambach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hambach?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Hambach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Hambach?
Hambach ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Hambach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hambach.
Has Hambach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hambach went from 134 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Hambach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hambach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hambach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hambach (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 Hambach mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Hambach, Germany. 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 Hambach (0.04 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 share the surname Hambach?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.