2000
#2,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,802
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.12
Uncommon Last name
Hamby
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead with a water meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,990 Americans carry the last name Hamby. That puts it at #2,693 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,866 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamby 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 Hamby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,866
Census rank
#2,693
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,072 bearers of the surname Hamby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2693rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamby, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamby
The surname Hamby is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the county of Gloucestershire, derived from the Old English words "ham" meaning a village or homestead, and "bie" meaning a dwelling or habitation.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hambi." This entry suggests that the name was already established in England during the Norman Conquest.
The name Hamby is also thought to have connections to various place names in Gloucestershire, such as Hambrook and Hambury. These locations likely played a role in the surname's development, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the places they lived or came from.
One notable figure bearing the Hamby surname was William Hamby, a member of the English Parliament who lived in the late 16th century (c. 1550-1610). He represented the borough of Grantham and played a role in the political affairs of his time.
In the 17th century, John Hamby (c. 1630-1695) was a renowned English poet and satirist, known for his biting wit and criticism of literary figures of his era. His work "The Battle of the Frogs and Mice" was a popular parody of the classical epic tradition.
Moving into the 18th century, we find Elizabeth Hamby (1711-1781), an English painter and engraver who gained recognition for her portraits and landscapes. She was a member of the Society of Artists in London and exhibited her work regularly.
Another notable bearer of the Hamby surname was Sir Thomas Hamby (1770-1848), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He distinguished himself in several battles, including the Battle of Waterloo, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
In the 19th century, Henry Hamby (1825-1891) was a prominent English architect known for his Gothic Revival designs. He was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings, including the iconic St. Pancras Railway Station in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamby
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamby, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamby 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 Hamby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 11,553
- Two or more races4.2% · 553
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 391
- Black or African American3.0% · 390
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamby
Hamby 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
#2,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,823
+21 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 4.69
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#2,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,072
-751 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 4.37
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,409 | 13,802 | 5.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,609 | 13,823 | 4.69 | +21 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #2,693 | 13,072 | 4.37 | -751 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 84 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 Hamby 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 | #2,609 | #2,693 | -3.2% |
| Count | 13,823 | 13,072 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.69 | 4.37 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamby bearers went from 13,823 to 13,072 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,609 to #2,693.
FAQ
Hamby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamby?
Name Census estimates that about 14,990 living Americans carry the surname Hamby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,866 residents.
How common is Hamby?
Hamby ranks #2,693 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,072 people with the surname Hamby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,990), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Hamby.
Has Hamby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamby went from 13,823 recorded bearers to 13,072. That is a decrease of 751 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,609 to #2,693.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamby, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hamby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (11,553 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hamby (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 Hamby mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead with a water meadow" in Old English. 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 Hamby (4.37 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 Hamby?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hamby? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.