2000
#4,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,206
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.67
Rare Last name
Hammett
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hammers or other tools.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,005 Americans carry the last name Hammett. That puts it at #4,897 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hammett 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 Hammett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,818
Census rank
#4,897
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,981 bearers of the surname Hammett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4897th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hammett
The surname Hammett is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name Hamel or Hamelin. This name is thought to have been a diminutive form of the Old German name Hamo, meaning "cripple" or "flat-nosed." The surname likely emerged in the 11th or 12th century as a way to identify individuals with this given name.
Hammett is believed to have originated in the counties of Sussex and Kent in southern England. Some early records of the name include Hamelin de Gatesden, listed in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1195, and Hamelin de Beaumont, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Kent in 1207. These early spellings, such as Hamelyn, Hamelin, and Hamelyn, illustrate the evolution of the surname over time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hammett was William Hammett, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a John Hamelyne.
The surname Hammett has been associated with various place names throughout England. For example, the village of Hammettsfield in Surrey was once known as Hamelettes, which may have derived from an early bearer of the Hammett name. Additionally, the Hammetts were once prominent landowners in the parish of Hammett's End in Herefordshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Hammett include:
1. John Hammett (c. 1580-1626), an English playwright and actor during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.
2. Benjamin Hammett (1736-1800), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
3. Samuel Hammett (1755-1835), an English clergyman and author of several theological works.
4. Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), an American author and screenwriter known for his hard-boiled detective novels, including "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Thin Man."
5. Barton Hammett (1909-1987), an American actor and screenwriter who co-wrote the screenplay for the film "Creature from the Black Lagoon."
The surname Hammett has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in England, evolving from an Old English personal name and being associated with various places and notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hammett
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hammett 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 Hammett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 5,606
- Black or African American10.6% · 737
- Two or more races4.0% · 281
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 262
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hammett
Hammett 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
#4,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,590
+384 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 146 places
2020
#4,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,981
-609 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Down 224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,527 | 7,206 | 2.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,673 | 7,590 | 2.57 | +384 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 146 places |
| 2020 | #4,897 | 6,981 | 2.34 | -609 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 224 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 Hammett 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 | #4,673 | #4,897 | -4.8% |
| Count | 7,590 | 6,981 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.57 | 2.34 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hammett bearers went from 7,590 to 6,981 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 224 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,673 to #4,897.
FAQ
Hammett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hammett?
Name Census estimates that about 8,005 living Americans carry the surname Hammett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,818 residents.
How common is Hammett?
Hammett ranks #4,897 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 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 6,981 people with the surname Hammett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,005), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 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 Hammett.
Has Hammett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hammett went from 7,590 recorded bearers to 6,981. That is a decrease of 609 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,673 to #4,897.
What does the Census say about the background of Hammett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Hammett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (5,606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hammett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Hammett (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 Hammett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hammers or other tools. 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 Hammett (2.34 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 Hammett?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.