2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hampsey
A locational surname derived from a location with a meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Hampsey. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hampsey 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 Hampsey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Hampsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hampsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hampsey
The surname HAMPSEY is of English origin, first appearing in the late 13th century. It originated from the village of Hampstead, located in the northern reaches of London. The name derives from the Old English words "ham" meaning homestead or village, and "stede" meaning place or farm.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1296, where a John de Hampstede was listed in the tax records for the county of Middlesex. By the 14th century, variations such as Hampsted, Hampstede, and Hampsey had emerged.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Hampstead is mentioned as "Hamstede," a thriving settlement with numerous landowners and tenants. This suggests the surname likely originated from families residing in or near the village during this time.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Hampsey, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in London during the 15th century. He served as an alderman and sheriff of the city in the 1470s.
Another well-known figure was John Hampsey, born in 1612, who was a prominent Puritan minister and author in New England during the colonial era. His works include "A Treatise on the Covenant of Grace" published in 1670.
In the 18th century, Edward Hampsey (1712-1781) was a respected English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Mansion House and the original Blackfriars Bridge.
The name also has connections to Scotland, with Robert Hampsey (1795-1858) being a notable Scottish physicist and inventor who contributed to the development of the electric telegraph.
In the literary world, Elizabeth Hampsey (1837-1921) was an acclaimed English poet and writer whose works explored themes of nature and spirituality.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hampsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hampsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hampsey 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 Hampsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hampsey
Hampsey 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+13 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,148 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 3,148 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,902 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 Hampsey 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 | #135,593 | #146,495 | -8.0% |
| Count | 124 | 114 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hampsey bearers went from 124 to 114 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #146,495.
FAQ
Hampsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hampsey?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Hampsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Hampsey?
Hampsey ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Hampsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Hampsey.
Has Hampsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hampsey went from 124 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Hampsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hampsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Hampsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hampsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Black (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Hampsey (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 Hampsey mean?
A locational surname derived from a location with a meadow. 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 Hampsey (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 common is the surname Hampsey?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Hampsey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.