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

Hamlet, 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 Hamlet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hamlet in America

Hamlet is the 9994th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hamlet surname appeared 3,227 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 Hamlet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hamlet 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 Hamlet

The surname Hamlet is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hām" meaning "homestead" and "lēah" meaning "a meadow or clearing." It was likely first used as a topographic name for someone who lived in a homestead or hamlet situated in a clearing or meadow.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Hamlet dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hameleth" and "Hamelet." This suggests that the name was already in use in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name Hamlet was primarily found in the counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire in the West Midlands region of England. It was often associated with small villages or hamlets in these areas.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hamlet was William Hamlet, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early bearer of the name was John de Hamelet, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.

In the 16th century, the surname Hamlet was sometimes spelled as "Hamlett" or "Hamlette." One notable individual with this spelling was Humphrey Hamlett, born around 1540, who was a renowned English clergyman and author.

The most famous bearer of the name Hamlet is, of course, the tragic protagonist of William Shakespeare's play "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark," written around 1600. Although the name was likely chosen for its symbolic meaning of "homestead" or "village," Shakespeare's use of it in his iconic work has forever tied it to the character of the melancholic Prince of Denmark.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hamlet include Sir Benjamin Hamlet, an English physician and author who lived from 1586 to 1644, and John Hamlet, a 17th-century English playwright and dramatist whose works were performed at the Red Bull Theatre in London.

In the 19th century, the Hamlet surname was found in various parts of England, as well as in the United States, where it had been carried by English immigrants. One notable American bearer of the name was Samuel Hamlet, born in 1799, who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the United States House of Representatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hamlet

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

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 Hamlet 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 Hamlet 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 Hamlet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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