2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hamit
A variant spelling of the Arabic surname "Hamet" meaning "praiseworthy" or "commendable".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Hamit. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamit 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Hamit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamit, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamit
The surname HAMIT has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Turkey and surrounding areas. It is believed to have emerged during the Ottoman period, which spanned from the 13th to the early 20th century. The name is derived from the Arabic word "hamid," which means "praiseworthy" or "commendable."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Ottoman tax records from the 16th century, where it appeared as "Hamit" or variations like "Hamidi." These records often listed individuals by their occupation or place of residence, indicating that some early bearers of the name may have hailed from towns or villages with names related to "hamid."
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the surname HAMIT was Mustafa Hamit Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and grand vizier (prime minister) who served during the reign of Sultan Mehmed IV. He played a crucial role in the empire's military campaigns and diplomatic relations.
During the 19th century, as the Ottoman Empire began to modernize and adopt Western-style surnames, the name HAMIT became more firmly established as a hereditary surname. One prominent individual from this era was Mehmet Hamit Bey, a Turkish diplomat and writer who lived from 1842 to 1923.
As the Ottoman Empire dissolved and the Republic of Turkey was established in the early 20th century, the surname HAMIT continued to be used by families with roots in Anatolia and the broader region. In the literary sphere, Mahmut Hamit Bey, a renowned playwright and poet who lived from 1878 to 1944, carried the name.
Another noteworthy figure was Hamit Hayran, a Turkish footballer who played as a striker for various clubs, including Fenerbahçe and the Turkish national team, in the 1940s and 1950s.
While the surname HAMIT is primarily associated with Turkish and Middle Eastern origins, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, perhaps through migration or cultural exchange. However, the earliest and most prominent historical references can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire and the broader region of modern-day Turkey.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamit
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamit, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamit 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 Hamit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 85
- Black or African American14.4% · 17
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamit
Hamit 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+12 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,662 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,662 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,354 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 Hamit 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 | #140,157 | #143,511 | -2.4% |
| Count | 119 | 118 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamit bearers went from 119 to 118 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #143,511.
FAQ
Hamit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamit?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Hamit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Hamit?
Hamit ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Hamit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Hamit.
Has Hamit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamit went from 119 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamit, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Hamit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (14.4%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Hamit (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 Hamit mean?
A variant spelling of the Arabic surname "Hamet" meaning "praiseworthy" or "commendable". 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 Hamit (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 common is the surname Hamit?
You can see how many people are called Hamit on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.