Find out how popular the last name Hammill is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hammill.

Hammill, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hammill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hammill in America

Hammill is the 15380th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hammill surname appeared 1,907 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hammill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hammill to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hammill

The surname Hammill is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire, during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "ham," meaning a homestead or village, and "hyll," meaning a hill. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a hill or in a village situated on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hamelhill." This entry suggests that the name was already established by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name was frequently spelled in various ways, such as Hamyll, Hamylle, and Hamelhill, reflecting the evolution of spelling conventions over time. It is also possible that the name has connections to specific place names, such as Hamhill in Somerset or Hammill in Derbyshire.

Notable figures with the surname Hammill include:

1. John Hammill (c. 1480-1555), an English priest and courtier who served as the chaplain to Henry VIII and was later appointed as the first Master of the Savoy Hospital in London.

2. Robert Hammill (1736-1804), a Scottish-born merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of New York City from 1799 to 1800.

3. William Hammill (1818-1892), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1867.

4. Edward Hammill (1844-1928), an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Hammill Paper Company and was known for his charitable contributions to educational institutions in Erie, Pennsylvania.

5. Howard Hammill (1892-1972), an American educator and psychologist who co-founded the Hammill Institute on Disabilities and developed several widely-used diagnostic tests for learning disabilities.

The surname Hammill has a rich history dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period and has been associated with various regions in England, as well as notable individuals across different fields, including religion, politics, business, and education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hammill

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hammill.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hammill was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hammill has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hammill was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hammill, please contact us.

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