2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hamiliton
From a place-name derived from Old English ham "homestead" and tun "enclosure, farm".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Hamiliton. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamiliton 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Hamiliton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamiliton, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamiliton
The surname Hamiliton originates from the Scottish region of Lanarkshire, dating back to the 12th century. It derives from the Old English words "hamel" meaning "homestead" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement." The name likely referred to an individual who resided at a particular homestead or farming community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish barons and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Walter de Hameldone," indicating its connection to a specific place, most likely the town of Hamilton in Lanarkshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Hamilitons emerged as a prominent noble family in Scotland. Sir Walter de Hameldone, who lived around 1292, is considered one of the earliest known ancestors of the family. His descendants played a significant role in Scottish history, including James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran (1475-1529), who served as Regent of Scotland during the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Hamilitons were also associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Hamilton Palace, a grand 17th-century residence near Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. The town of Hamilton itself was originally known as "Hameldone" or "Hameledune," reflecting the surname's connection to the area.
Notable historical figures with the surname Hamiliton include Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a Founding Father of the United States and the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Emma Hamilton (1765-1815) was a famous mistress of Lord Nelson, the renowned British naval commander. William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865) was an Irish mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of modern algebra.
Other prominent individuals bearing the surname include Sir William Hamilton (1788-1856), a Scottish philosopher and metaphysician, and Sir Ian Hamilton (1853-1947), a British military commander during World War I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamiliton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamiliton, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamiliton 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 Hamiliton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.3% · 67
- Black or African American35.4% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamiliton
Hamiliton appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+7 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,548 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 6,548 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 Hamiliton 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 | #153,769 | #147,221 | 4.3% |
| Count | 106 | 113 | 6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamiliton bearers went from 106 to 113 (+6.6% change). The surname moved up 6,548 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #147,221.
FAQ
Hamiliton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamiliton?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Hamiliton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Hamiliton?
Hamiliton ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Hamiliton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hamiliton.
Has Hamiliton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamiliton went from 106 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 7 (+6.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamiliton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamiliton, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Hamiliton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamiliton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.3%), Black (35.4%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Hamiliton (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 Hamiliton mean?
From a place-name derived from Old English ham "homestead" and tun "enclosure, farm". 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 Hamiliton (0.04 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 Hamiliton?
You can see how common the surname Hamiliton is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.