2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hamwey
A habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Hamway or Hanway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 144 Americans carry the last name Hamwey. That puts it at #137,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,380,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamwey 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
144
1 in 2,380,238
Census rank
#137,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
126
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 126 bearers of the surname Hamwey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 137553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamwey, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamwey
The surname Hamwey has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ham," meaning a village or homestead, and "weg," meaning a way or road. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent road or pathway leading to a village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hamwey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population conducted under the orders of William the Conqueror. This indicates that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the name Hamwey appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like surveys conducted by the English government. One notable individual from this period was John Hamwey, a landowner in the county of Somerset, whose name was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Somerset in 1270.
In the 14th century, the name Hamwey appeared in several medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Patent Rolls, which recorded royal grants and commissions. One such record from 1348 mentions a Richard Hamwey, who was granted a pardon for his involvement in a criminal matter.
The 16th century saw the emergence of variations in the spelling of the name, including Hamway, Hamwaye, and Hamweye. During this time, a notable figure was William Hamwey, a merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived from 1520 to 1589.
In the 17th century, the Hamwey name was found in various parish records and court documents. One prominent individual was Thomas Hamwey, a clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Bungay, Suffolk, from 1645 to 1683.
Throughout the centuries, the Hamwey name has been associated with several notable individuals, including Sir John Hamwey, a military commander who served in the English Civil War during the 1640s, and Robert Hamwey, a respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on the history of England in the late 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamwey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamwey, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Hamwey 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 Hamwey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 126
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamwey
Hamwey 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+1 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,064 places
2020
#137,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-10 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 7,064 places |
| 2020 | #137,553 | 126 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 11,535 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 Hamwey 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 | #126,018 | #137,553 | -9.2% |
| Count | 136 | 126 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -15.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamwey bearers went from 136 to 126 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 11,535 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #137,553.
FAQ
Hamwey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamwey?
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the surname Hamwey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,380,238 residents.
How common is Hamwey?
Hamwey ranks #137,553 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 126 people with the surname Hamwey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (144), 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 Hamwey.
Has Hamwey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamwey went from 136 recorded bearers to 126. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #137,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamwey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamwey, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Hamwey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamwey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Hamwey (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 Hamwey mean?
A habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Hamway or Hanway. 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 Hamwey (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 Hamwey?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Hamwey, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.