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

Hampshire, 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 Hampshire surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hampshire in America

Hampshire is the 18614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hampshire surname appeared 1,479 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 Hampshire.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hampshire 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 Hampshire

The surname Hampshire originated in England, with its roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a locational name, derived from the county of Hampshire in southern England. The name Hampshire itself is composed of two Old English words, "hamm" meaning a dry or enclosed place, and "scir" meaning a shire or county.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hantescire." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, served as a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Hampshire was most prevalent in the county from which it originated. The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Hampshire, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as "Hamptesire" and "Hampchire," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that period.

Notable individuals with the surname Hampshire include Sir William Hampshire (1619-1680), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Hampshire during the English Civil War. Another notable figure was John Hampshire (1761-1829), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Hampshire was also found among English settlers in the American colonies. One such individual was Thomas Hampshire (1598-1667), who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.

Other notable bearers of the surname include William Hampshire (1741-1808), a British soldier and explorer who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War, and Mary Hampshire (1820-1892), an English writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform.

Throughout its history, the surname Hampshire has maintained a strong association with its geographic origins in southern England, reflecting the importance of place names in the development of many English surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hampshire

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

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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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