2000
#13,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Hammes
Derived from a German occupational name for a maker of hammers or a person who worked with a hammer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,295 Americans carry the last name Hammes. That puts it at #14,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hammes 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
2.3K
1 in 149,348
Census rank
#14,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,001 bearers of the surname Hammes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hammes
The surname Hammes originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the 8th or 9th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ham," which meant "home" or "village." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a particular hamlet or village.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Hammes name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony. This reference dates back to the 11th century, indicating the name's long-standing presence in German history.
During the Middle Ages, the name Hammes appeared in various forms, including Hamme, Hamen, and Hames, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common at the time. It is also possible that the name was associated with certain place names, such as Hamm, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Notable individuals who bore the Hammes surname throughout history include Johann Hammes (1562-1638), a German Lutheran theologian and author; Hans Hammes (1873-1945), a German politician and member of the Reichstag; and Wilhelmina Hammes (1871-1954), a Dutch painter known for her landscapes and still-life works.
Another figure of historical significance was Peter Hammes (1837-1918), a German-American Catholic priest and educator who played a pivotal role in establishing parochial schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In the realm of literature, the name Hammes is associated with Gerhard Hammes (1927-2003), a German author and poet who was celebrated for his lyrical works, including the collection "Gedichte" (Poems).
It is important to note that the Hammes surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, politicians, and religious figures, contributing to the rich tapestry of German and European cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hammes
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hammes 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 Hammes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,864
- Two or more races2.8% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 43
- Black or African American1.0% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hammes
Hammes 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
#13,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,227
+165 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 90 places
2020
#14,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,001
-226 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 784 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,513 | 2,062 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,603 | 2,227 | 0.75 | +165 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 90 places |
| 2020 | #14,387 | 2,001 | 0.67 | -226 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 784 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 Hammes 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 | #13,603 | #14,387 | -5.8% |
| Count | 2,227 | 2,001 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.67 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hammes bearers went from 2,227 to 2,001 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 784 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,603 to #14,387.
FAQ
Hammes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hammes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,295 living Americans carry the surname Hammes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,348 residents.
How common is Hammes?
Hammes ranks #14,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,001 people with the surname Hammes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Hammes.
Has Hammes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hammes went from 2,227 recorded bearers to 2,001. That is a decrease of 226 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,603 to #14,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Hammes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hammes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,864 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hammes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hammes (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 Hammes mean?
Derived from a German occupational name for a maker of hammers or a person who worked with a hammer. 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 Hammes (0.67 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 common is the surname Hammes?
Want to know how common the surname Hammes is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.