2000
#16,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Hamdan
A surname of Arabic origin, meaning "one who praises" or "one who commends."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,811 Americans carry the last name Hamdan. That puts it at #9,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamdan 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 Hamdan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,938
Census rank
#9,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,323 bearers of the surname Hamdan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamdan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamdan
The surname Hamdan has its origins in the Arabic language and is believed to have originated in the Middle East region, specifically in countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. The name is derived from the Arabic word "hamad," which means "to praise" or "to laud." It is a combination of the Arabic words "hamd" (praise) and the suffix "-an," indicating possession or association.
Historically, the name Hamdan was initially used as a descriptive name or a nickname given to individuals who were known for their praiseworthy qualities or actions. It later became adopted as a surname, possibly during the medieval period when the practice of using hereditary surnames became more widespread in the Arab world.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hamdan can be found in ancient Arabic manuscripts and historical documents dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries. These records often mention individuals bearing the name Hamdan or variations of it, such as Hamdan ibn al-Ashath, a prominent Arab military leader who lived during the Umayyad Caliphate in the late 7th century.
The name Hamdan has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations throughout the Middle East. For instance, there is a town called Hamdan in Saudi Arabia's Asir region, which may have derived its name from the surname or vice versa.
Over the centuries, the surname Hamdan has been borne by numerous notable individuals, including:
1. Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born in 1949), a member of the ruling family of Dubai and the Crown Prince of Dubai.
2. Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (1945-2021), a former Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the Minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates.
3. Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born in 1963), a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi and the former Representative of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
4. Hamdan Karami (1892-1973), a Lebanese politician and Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1945 to 1946.
5. Hamdan Khalil Hamdan (1929-2020), a Palestinian writer and poet known for his contributions to modern Arabic literature.
While the surname Hamdan is most prevalent in the Arab world, it has also been adopted by individuals of different ethnic backgrounds and nationalities over time due to migration, intermarriage, and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamdan
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamdan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamdan 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 Hamdan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 2,836
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 170
- Two or more races4.6% · 153
- Black or African American3.2% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamdan
Hamdan 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
#12,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,412
+807 bearers (+50.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 3,700 places
2020
#9,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,323
+911 bearers (+37.8%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 3,398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,489 | 1,605 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,789 | 2,412 | 0.82 | +807 bearers (+50.3%) | Up 3,700 places |
| 2020 | #9,391 | 3,323 | 1.11 | +911 bearers (+37.8%) | Up 3,398 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 Hamdan 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 | #12,789 | #9,391 | 26.6% |
| Count | 2,412 | 3,323 | 37.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 1.11 | 35.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamdan bearers went from 2,412 to 3,323 (+37.8% change). The surname moved up 3,398 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,789 to #9,391.
FAQ
Hamdan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamdan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,811 living Americans carry the surname Hamdan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,938 residents.
How common is Hamdan?
Hamdan ranks #9,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,323 people with the surname Hamdan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,811), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hamdan.
Has Hamdan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamdan went from 2,412 recorded bearers to 3,323. That is an increase of 911 (+37.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,789 to #9,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamdan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamdan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hamdan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (2,836 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamdan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hamdan (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 Hamdan mean?
A surname of Arabic origin, meaning "one who praises" or "one who commends." 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 Hamdan (1.11 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 Hamdan?
See how many people have the surname Hamdan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.