2000
#18,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,393
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Hamed
An Arabic surname meaning "praiseworthy" or "one who is praised," derived from the Arabic verb "hamada."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,840 Americans carry the last name Hamed. That puts it at #9,331 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamed 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 Hamed with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,259
Census rank
#9,331
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,349 bearers of the surname Hamed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9331st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamed, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamed
The surname Hamed is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, and it is predominantly found in countries with significant Muslim populations. It is thought to have derived from the Arabic name Hamed, which means "praiseworthy" or "one who praises."
The earliest known records of the surname Hamed can be traced back to the Middle Ages in the Arabian Peninsula and parts of North Africa. It is possible that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname or an honorific title before evolving into a hereditary surname.
During the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century, the surname Hamed may have been associated with scholars, poets, or religious figures who were known for their praises and devotion to Islamic teachings. However, specific historical references from this period are scarce.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hamed was Al-Hamed Al-Gharnati, a prominent Andalusian philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 12th century. He made significant contributions to the fields of logic and astronomy.
In the 14th century, a manuscript titled "The Book of Praises" was written by a scholar named Ibn Hamed Al-Qurashi. This work explored the virtues and praises of the Islamic faith, which could be a potential source of the surname's association with praise.
During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Middle East and North Africa from the 14th to the early 20th century, the surname Hamed was present among various communities. One notable figure was Hamed Al-Deen Al-Jazari, a renowned engineer and inventor who lived in the 13th century and is credited with developing advanced mechanical devices and water clocks.
In more recent history, Hamed Al-Ghazali was an influential Egyptian philosopher and theologian who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries. His works on Islamic philosophy and Sufism had a profound impact on the intellectual and spiritual traditions of the Islamic world.
Another notable individual with the surname Hamed was Hamed Karoui, a Tunisian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Tunisia from 1989 to 1999.
While the exact origin and early history of the surname Hamed remain somewhat obscure, it is clear that the name has deep roots in the Arabic-speaking world and has been associated with various scholarly, religious, and influential figures throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamed
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamed, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamed 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 Hamed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.6% · 2,466
- Black or African American12.9% · 431
- Two or more races5.6% · 186
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 152
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamed
Hamed 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
#13,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,178
+785 bearers (+56.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 4,474 places
2020
#9,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,349
+1,171 bearers (+53.8%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 4,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,345 | 1,393 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,871 | 2,178 | 0.74 | +785 bearers (+56.4%) | Up 4,474 places |
| 2020 | #9,331 | 3,349 | 1.12 | +1,171 bearers (+53.8%) | Up 4,540 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 Hamed 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 | #13,871 | #9,331 | 32.7% |
| Count | 2,178 | 3,349 | 53.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 1.12 | 51.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamed bearers went from 2,178 to 3,349 (+53.8% change). The surname moved up 4,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,871 to #9,331.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hamed
FAQ
Hamed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamed?
Name Census estimates that about 3,840 living Americans carry the surname Hamed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,259 residents.
How common is Hamed?
Hamed ranks #9,331 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,349 people with the surname Hamed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Hamed.
Has Hamed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamed went from 2,178 recorded bearers to 3,349. That is an increase of 1,171 (+53.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,871 to #9,331.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamed, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Hamed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (2,466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.6%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Hamed (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 Hamed mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "praiseworthy" or "one who is praised," derived from the Arabic verb "hamada." 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 Hamed (1.12 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 Hamed?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Hamed on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.