Find out how popular the last name Hamil is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hamil.

Hamil, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hamil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hamil in America

Hamil is the 13764th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hamil surname appeared 2,198 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hamil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hamil to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hamil

The surname Hamil is believed to have originated in Scotland, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a variation of the name Hamilton, which was derived from the Old English words "hamel" and "tun," meaning "homestead" and "town," respectively. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a homestead or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hamil can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish nobles and landowners who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The document lists a "Thomas de Hameldun," which may have been an early spelling of the name.

In the 14th century, a branch of the Hamil family settled in the Scottish Borders region, where they became prominent landowners. Records from this period show the name spelled in various ways, including "Hamill," "Hameill," and "Hamyll."

During the 16th century, the Hamils played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation. Sir John Hamil (c. 1510-1572) was a prominent Protestant reformer and member of the Scottish Parliament. He was instrumental in establishing the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and advocating for religious reform.

Another notable figure in the history of the Hamil surname was Sir William Hamil (1655-1723), a Scottish writer and poet. He was born in Lanarkshire and is best known for his satirical works, which critiqued the social and political climate of his time.

In the 18th century, the Hamil family had a presence in both Scotland and Ireland. James Hamil (1712-1788), a Scottish-born philosopher and educator, was a prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment movement. He served as a professor at the University of Glasgow and made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics.

The name Hamil also has a long-standing connection to the Scottish town of Hamilton, which was named after the Hamilton family, who were once the feudal lords of the area. The town's coat of arms features a symbol that represents the "hamel" or homestead, further reinforcing the name's historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hamil

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hamil.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hamil was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hamil has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hamil was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hamil, please contact us.

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