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

Hance, 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 Hance surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hance in America

Hance is the 7466th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hance surname appeared 4,464 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hance.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hance 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 Hance

The surname Hance originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name 'Hans', a shortened form of Johannes, which was the medieval English form of the name John. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious".

In its earliest recorded forms, the surname appeared as Hance, Hanse, and Haunce in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire. These spellings were likely influenced by regional dialects and accents of the time.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which record a person named William Hance residing in Norfolk. The surname also appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated 1315, where a Robert Hance is mentioned.

During the 14th century, the name Hance was associated with several notable individuals. John Hance, a wealthy merchant from Norwich, was recorded as a benefactor of the city's Blackfriars monastery in 1369. Around the same time, a Thomas Hance served as a bailiff in the town of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in 1375.

In the 15th century, the surname Hance gained prominence with the rise of a family of that name in the county of Lincolnshire. Sir John Hance (c. 1420-1487), a prominent landowner and knight, was appointed Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1472 and served as a Member of Parliament for the county in 1478.

Another notable figure was William Hance (1499-1551), a scholar and theologian who attended Oxford University and later became the Archdeacon of Winchester. He is remembered for his writings on religious reforms during the English Reformation.

The surname Hance has also been associated with several place names throughout England, such as Hance Hill in Kent and Hance Meadow in Wiltshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who once owned or resided in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hance include Robert Hance (1572-1635), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of London, and Elizabeth Hance (1634-1709), a Quaker writer and preacher from Hertfordshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hance

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

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

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

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