2000
#3,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,421
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Rare Last name
Hamblin
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the home of Hamel's people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,644 Americans carry the last name Hamblin. That puts it at #4,091 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamblin 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 Hamblin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,541
Census rank
#4,091
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,410 bearers of the surname Hamblin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4091st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamblin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamblin
The surname Hamblin is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "ham" meaning a homestead or village, and "dun" meaning a hill. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a homestead on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hamblin can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a William de Hameldon is mentioned. This early spelling variation suggests the name may have originated in the area around Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as Hameldon, Hameldon, and Hameldon. These spellings indicate the name's connection to a place name, possibly a now-lost village or hamlet.
The Domesday Book of 1086 does not appear to contain any direct references to the surname Hamblin, but it does mention several places with similar names, such as Hameldon in Somerset and Hameldon in Wiltshire. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname over time.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Hamblin, who lived in the 14th century and was a member of the English gentry. He is mentioned in records from the reign of Edward III, suggesting the Hamblin family had established itself as part of the landed class by that time.
Another historically significant individual with the surname Hamblin was Thomas Hamblin, a 16th-century English philosopher and author. He was born in 1548 and wrote several works on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records and court documents, indicating its widespread use across England. One example is William Hamblin, a prominent merchant from Bristol who lived from 1623 to 1687.
The 18th century saw the rise of the Hamblin family in the West Country, with several members holding positions of influence in local government and the church. One notable figure was Reverend John Hamblin, who served as the vicar of Taunton from 1721 to 1775.
In the 19th century, the name Hamblin became associated with the arts and sciences. Joseph Hamblin, born in 1812, was a renowned English painter known for his landscapes and portraits. Another notable figure was William Hamblin, a geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossils in the mid-1800s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamblin
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamblin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamblin 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 Hamblin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 7,221
- Black or African American5.5% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 309
- Two or more races3.6% · 304
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamblin
Hamblin 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
#3,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,936
+515 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#4,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,410
-526 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,876 | 8,421 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,977 | 8,936 | 3.03 | +515 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #4,091 | 8,410 | 2.81 | -526 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 114 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 Hamblin 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 | #3,977 | #4,091 | -2.9% |
| Count | 8,936 | 8,410 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.03 | 2.81 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamblin bearers went from 8,936 to 8,410 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,977 to #4,091.
FAQ
Hamblin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamblin?
Name Census estimates that about 9,644 living Americans carry the surname Hamblin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,541 residents.
How common is Hamblin?
Hamblin ranks #4,091 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,410 people with the surname Hamblin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hamblin.
Has Hamblin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamblin went from 8,936 recorded bearers to 8,410. That is a decrease of 526 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,977 to #4,091.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamblin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamblin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hamblin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (7,221 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamblin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Black (5.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hamblin (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 Hamblin mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the home of Hamel's people." 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 Hamblin (2.81 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 are called Hamblin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Hamblin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.