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

Hamm, 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 Hamm surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hamm in America

Hamm is the 1314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hamm surname appeared 26,726 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Hamm.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hamm 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 Hamm

The surname Hamm originated in the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the Old English word "hamm" which referred to a meadow or pasture of land in a river bend. The name likely originated as a place name and eventually became a surname for those who lived in or near a meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a place called "Hamme" in Somerset.

In the 12th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "de Hamme" and "atte Hamme" indicating the place of origin. The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Hamme, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191.

The name Hamm was also associated with several place names in England, including Hamm in Staffordshire, Hamme in Dorset, and Ham in Surrey. The variations in spelling were common during the Middle Ages before English orthography became standardized.

Among the notable individuals with the surname Hamm throughout history are:

1. Johann Adam Hamm (1685-1756), a German mathematician and astronomer.
2. Margret Hamm (c. 1506-1589), a German Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for her religious beliefs.
3. Thomas Hamm (c. 1587-1654), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford.
4. John Hamm (c. 1714-1790), an English politician who served as the Mayor of Southampton in 1768.
5. Edward Hamm (1826-1888), an American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.

The surname Hamm has been present in various parts of the world, including Germany, England, and the United States, reflecting the migration and dispersal of families over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hamm

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

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

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

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