2000
#3,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,592
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.93
Uncommon Last name
Hamel
A French habitational surname referring to someone living near a hamlet or small village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,647 Americans carry the last name Hamel. That puts it at #3,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,429 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamel 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 Hamel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,429
Census rank
#3,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,157 bearers of the surname Hamel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamel
The surname HAMEL is of French origin and can be traced back to the 11th century in the northern regions of France. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "hamel," which referred to a small village or hamlet. This name likely originated as a locational name for someone who lived in or came from a hamlet.
One of the earliest known recordings of the surname HAMEL can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "de Hamele," indicating its French roots and locational significance.
In the 12th century, a nobleman named Robert de Hamel was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire, England, in 1165. This record provides evidence of the surname's early presence in England, potentially brought over by Norman settlers after the conquest in 1066.
During the 13th century, the name HAMEL appeared in various historical documents across France and England. For instance, Radulfus de Hamel was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of Bedfordshire, England, in 1212, while Jean de Hamel was mentioned in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Bertin in France in 1268.
One notable figure with the surname HAMEL was Johannes de Hamel, a French scholar and theologian born in the late 13th century. He was a professor at the University of Paris and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 16th century, the name HAMEL gained prominence in England with figures like Thomas Hamel, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London who was born around 1520. He was known for his philanthropic work and supported the establishment of Christ's Hospital, a renowned school for underprivileged children.
Another influential individual was Pierre Hamel, a French explorer and navigator born in 1615. He was part of several expeditions to the New World and contributed to the exploration and mapping of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River in present-day Canada.
As the surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Hamill, Hammill, and Hamelle, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and record-keeping practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamel 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 Hamel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 9,135
- Two or more races4.2% · 427
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 349
- Black or African American1.1% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamel
Hamel 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
#3,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,944
+352 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 3.71
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#3,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,157
-787 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 3.40
Rank movement Down 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,129 | 10,592 | 3.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,294 | 10,944 | 3.71 | +352 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #3,438 | 10,157 | 3.40 | -787 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 144 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 Hamel 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 | #3,294 | #3,438 | -4.4% |
| Count | 10,944 | 10,157 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.71 | 3.40 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamel bearers went from 10,944 to 10,157 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,294 to #3,438.
FAQ
Hamel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamel?
Name Census estimates that about 11,647 living Americans carry the surname Hamel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,429 residents.
How common is Hamel?
Hamel ranks #3,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.40 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 10,157 people with the surname Hamel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.40 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 Hamel.
Has Hamel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamel went from 10,944 recorded bearers to 10,157. That is a decrease of 787 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,294 to #3,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hamel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (9,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hamel (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 Hamel mean?
A French habitational surname referring to someone living near a hamlet or small village. 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 Hamel (3.40 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 Hamel?
You can see how many people are called Hamel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.