2000
#2,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.06
Uncommon Last name
Hamlin
From an Old English place name meaning "home of a follower of a prince" or "settlement on a hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,124 Americans carry the last name Hamlin. That puts it at #2,242 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,912 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamlin 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 Hamlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,912
Census rank
#2,242
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,805 bearers of the surname Hamlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2242nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamlin
The surname Hamlin is of English origin and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "ham" meaning a homestead or village, and "linn" meaning a pool, stream, or waterfall. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or waterfall in a small hamlet or village.
Hamlin is thought to have originated in the county of Gloucestershire, England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hameldon" and "Hamelune", referring to settlements in Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared as "Hamelyn" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This spelling variation highlights the influence of Norman French on the English language during this period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Hamelyn, a wealthy merchant from Bristol, England, who was mentioned in records from the late 13th century.
During the 14th century, the name was also found in various spellings such as "Hamelyn" and "Hamelyne" in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Giles Hamlin, born in England around 1550. He was one of the early English settlers in New England, arriving in Massachusetts in the 1630s.
Another significant figure was Eleazer Hamlin, born in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1678. He served as a member of the Massachusetts General Court and was involved in the establishment of several towns in the colony.
In the 18th century, John Hamlin, born in 1722 in Massachusetts, fought in the French and Indian War and later became a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War.
The 19th century saw the rise of Hannibal Hamlin, born in 1809 in Maine. He served as the 16th Vice President of the United States under President Abraham Lincoln from 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War.
Throughout its history, the surname Hamlin has been associated with various place names in England, such as Hamlin in Gloucestershire, Hamlyn in Devon, and Hamlin Hill in Oxfordshire, reflecting the geographical origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamlin 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 Hamlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 12,073
- Black or African American15.0% · 2,364
- Two or more races3.8% · 605
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 560
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamlin
Hamlin 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
#2,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,871
+513 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 5.72
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#2,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,805
-1,066 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 5.29
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,031 | 16,358 | 6.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,150 | 16,871 | 5.72 | +513 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #2,242 | 15,805 | 5.29 | -1,066 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 92 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 Hamlin 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 | #2,150 | #2,242 | -4.3% |
| Count | 16,871 | 15,805 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.72 | 5.29 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamlin bearers went from 16,871 to 15,805 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,150 to #2,242.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hamlin
FAQ
Hamlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamlin?
Name Census estimates that about 18,124 living Americans carry the surname Hamlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,912 residents.
How common is Hamlin?
Hamlin ranks #2,242 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,805 people with the surname Hamlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Hamlin.
Has Hamlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamlin went from 16,871 recorded bearers to 15,805. That is a decrease of 1,066 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,150 to #2,242.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hamlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (12,073 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (15.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hamlin (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 Hamlin mean?
From an Old English place name meaning "home of a follower of a prince" or "settlement on a hill." 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 Hamlin (5.29 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 Hamlin?
If you just want to know how many people are called Hamlin, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.