2000
#6,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,944
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Hammack
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hillock" or "steep, rugged ascent."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,588 Americans carry the last name Hammack. That puts it at #6,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,338 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hammack 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
5.6K
1 in 61,338
Census rank
#6,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,873 bearers of the surname Hammack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammack, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hammack
The surname Hammack has its origins in England, emerging in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ham," meaning a homestead or village, and "ac," referring to an oak tree. This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with a settlement or dwelling near a prominent oak tree.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Hamoc," likely a variant spelling of Hammack.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name was predominantly found in the counties of Warwickshire and Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. Historical records from this period show various spellings, such as Hammok, Hamok, and Hamak, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings during that era.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Hammack was recorded as a landowner in the village of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire. Another early bearer of the name was William Hammack, a merchant who lived in the city of Coventry in the late 15th century.
The 16th century saw the Hammack surname spread beyond the West Midlands region. In 1567, a man named Robert Hammack was documented as a resident of the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire.
A prominent figure bearing the Hammack surname was Sir John Hammack, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Warwick and was knighted by King James I in 1603.
During the 17th century, the Hammack family established a presence in the county of Dorset, where a branch of the family settled in the village of Hammack, which likely derived its name from their surname.
As the centuries passed, the Hammack surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with families bearing this name contributing to the rich tapestry of British history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hammack
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammack, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hammack 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 Hammack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 4,389
- Two or more races3.8% · 185
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 184
- Black or African American1.0% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hammack
Hammack 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
#6,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,080
+136 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 316 places
2020
#6,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,873
-207 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,341 | 4,944 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,657 | 5,080 | 1.72 | +136 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 316 places |
| 2020 | #6,659 | 4,873 | 1.63 | -207 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 2 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 Hammack 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 | #6,657 | #6,659 | -0.0% |
| Count | 5,080 | 4,873 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.63 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hammack bearers went from 5,080 to 4,873 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,657 to #6,659.
FAQ
Hammack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hammack?
Name Census estimates that about 5,588 living Americans carry the surname Hammack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,338 residents.
How common is Hammack?
Hammack ranks #6,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,873 people with the surname Hammack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,588), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hammack.
Has Hammack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hammack went from 5,080 recorded bearers to 4,873. That is a decrease of 207 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,657 to #6,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Hammack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammack, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (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 Hammack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (4,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hammack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (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 Hammack (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 Hammack mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hillock" or "steep, rugged ascent." 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 Hammack (1.63 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 share the surname Hammack?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.