2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hanau
A locational surname derived from the German city of Hanau.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Hanau. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hanau 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Hanau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hanau
The surname HANAU is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the town of Hanau in the German state of Hesse, situated on the banks of the Kinzig River. The name itself is thought to be derived from the Old High German word 'han,' meaning 'rooster,' and 'au,' meaning 'meadow' or 'water meadow,' collectively translating to 'rooster meadow.'
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HANAU can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the principality of Anhalt, dating back to the 13th century. In this document, a certain 'Conradus de Hanau' is mentioned as a witness in a legal proceeding.
The HANAU surname gained prominence during the 16th century, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was Johann Hanau (1525-1594), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Hesse.
In the 17th century, the HANAU surname was associated with the ruling family of the County of Hanau, a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Prominent members of this family include Philipp Ludwig II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg (1576-1612), and Johann Reinhard III, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1665-1736).
Another notable bearer of the HANAU surname was Johann Nicolaus Hanau (1663-1711), a German physician and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their medicinal properties.
In the 19th century, the HANAU surname gained further recognition with the birth of Jakob Hanau (1839-1919), a German-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Hanau Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Throughout history, the HANAU surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Hanowe, Hanawe, and Hanawe, reflecting the local dialects and variations in the region where the name originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hanau
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hanau 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 Hanau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hanau
Hanau 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,398 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 2,398 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,461 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 Hanau 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 | #137,327 | #142,788 | -4.0% |
| Count | 122 | 119 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hanau bearers went from 122 to 119 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,788.
FAQ
Hanau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hanau?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Hanau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Hanau?
Hanau ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Hanau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Hanau.
Has Hanau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hanau went from 122 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Hanau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%). 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 Hanau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hanau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (9.2%). 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 Hanau (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 Hanau mean?
A locational surname derived from the German city of Hanau. 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 Hanau (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 many people are called Hanau?
You can see how many people have the surname Hanau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.