2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hammatt
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "homestead" or "hamlet".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Hammatt. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hammatt 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Hammatt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hammatt
The surname Hammatt is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words "ham" meaning a homestead or village, and "hætt" meaning a hat or hood. This suggests that the name was likely originally given as a descriptive nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hat or hood, or perhaps lived near a landmark with a distinctive shape resembling a hat.
The earliest recorded instances of the Hammatt name date back to the late 12th century in the county of Oxfordshire, England. In 1198, a Robert Hammett was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire, while a William Hamet appeared in the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1199. These early spellings highlight the variations in the name's spelling over time.
By the 13th century, the Hammatt name had spread to other parts of England, including Norfolk and Somerset. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a John Hammet was recorded in Norfolk, while a Walter Hammet was listed in Somerset. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mention a Hugo Hammet in Somerset.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Hammatt surname was John Hammett (c.1335-1391), a member of the English Parliament who represented Oxfordshire in 1382 and 1383. He was also known for his involvement in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
In the 16th century, the Hammatt name appeared in the records of the parish of St. Giles in Northamptonshire, where a Richard Hammatt was recorded as a church warden in 1588. Around the same time, a William Hammatt (c.1550-1621) was a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in London.
Another notable individual was Sir Benjamin Hammett (1619-1688), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as Solicitor-General during the reign of Charles II. He was also involved in the prosecution of several individuals accused of involvement in the Rye House Plot against the King in 1683.
In the 18th century, the Hammatt name continued to be found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, where a John Hammatt (1703-1776) was a respected landowner and Justice of the Peace. Meanwhile, in Suffolk, a Samuel Hammatt (1744-1817) was a noted clergyman and author.
As the centuries passed, the Hammatt surname also spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of migration and colonization. However, the origins of this name can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon settlements of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hammatt
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hammatt 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 Hammatt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 101
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hammatt
Hammatt 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,698 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,080 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13,698 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,080 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 Hammatt 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 | #144,141 | #147,221 | -2.1% |
| Count | 115 | 113 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hammatt bearers went from 115 to 113 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,080 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,221.
FAQ
Hammatt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hammatt?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Hammatt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Hammatt?
Hammatt ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Hammatt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hammatt.
Has Hammatt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hammatt went from 115 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Hammatt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Hammatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hammatt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Hammatt (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 Hammatt mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "homestead" or "hamlet". 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 Hammatt (0.04 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 Hammatt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.