2000
#7,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,889
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Hamman
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a bend or enclosure, derived from Old English "hamm".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,348 Americans carry the last name Hamman. That puts it at #8,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,830 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamman 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 Hamman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,830
Census rank
#8,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,792 bearers of the surname Hamman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamman
The surname Hamman has its origins in the Germanic language and is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the German word "heim," meaning "home" or "homestead," and "mann," meaning "man." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who owned or worked on a homestead.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hamman can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the principality of Anhalt in modern-day Germany. This document, dating back to 1154, mentions a person named "Henricus Hamman."
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, including the Liber Census Daniae, a Danish census record from around 1230, which lists a "Johannes Hamman" from Lübeck.
During the Middle Ages, the Hamman surname was also associated with various place names in Germany, such as Hammerstein and Hammerschmidt, which may have contributed to the spelling variations of the name.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Hamman was Johann Hamman, a German scholar and theologian born in 1644 in Lübben, Brandenburg. He is known for his work on Christian apologetics and his defense of the Lutheran faith.
Another notable figure was Johann Michael Hamman, a German composer and organist born in 1760 in Wittenberg, Saxony. He is best known for his compositions for the organ and his contribution to the development of the German organ school.
In the 19th century, the Hamman surname gained prominence with the birth of Hans Hamman, a German industrialist and entrepreneur born in 1819 in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg. He played a significant role in the development of the German textile industry and was a pioneer in the use of modern manufacturing techniques.
Another individual with the Hamman surname was Wilhelm Hamman, a German historian and philologist born in 1844 in Schleswig-Holstein. He made significant contributions to the study of medieval German literature and was a respected scholar in his field.
Finally, Friedrich Hamman, born in 1886 in Cologne, Germany, was a renowned architect and urban planner. He was influential in the development of modern architecture in Germany and played a key role in the reconstruction efforts following World War II.
While the Hamman surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, primarily due to emigration and migration patterns. However, the name's rich history and association with notable individuals in various fields continue to be an important part of its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamman
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamman 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 Hamman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 3,422
- Two or more races4.0% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamman
Hamman 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
#7,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,555
+666 bearers (+17.1%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Up 572 places
2020
#8,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,792
-763 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 1,033 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,896 | 3,889 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,324 | 4,555 | 1.54 | +666 bearers (+17.1%) | Up 572 places |
| 2020 | #8,357 | 3,792 | 1.27 | -763 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,033 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 Hamman 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 | #7,324 | #8,357 | -14.1% |
| Count | 4,555 | 3,792 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.27 | -17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamman bearers went from 4,555 to 3,792 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,033 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,324 to #8,357.
FAQ
Hamman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,348 living Americans carry the surname Hamman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,830 residents.
How common is Hamman?
Hamman ranks #8,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,792 people with the surname Hamman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,348), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hamman.
Has Hamman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamman went from 4,555 recorded bearers to 3,792. That is a decrease of 763 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,324 to #8,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) 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 Hamman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (3,422 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%), 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 Hamman (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 Hamman mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a bend or enclosure, derived from Old English "hamm". 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 Hamman (1.27 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 Hamman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.