2000
#7,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,277
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Hance
Derived from a medieval nickname for a person who was skilled with a lance or spear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,726 Americans carry the last name Hance. That puts it at #7,739 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,525 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hance 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 Hance with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,525
Census rank
#7,739
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,121 bearers of the surname Hance in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7739th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hance, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hance
Among Census respondents with the surname Hance, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hance 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 Hance surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 3,515
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 275
- Two or more races4.5% · 184
- Black or African American2.1% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hance
Hance 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
#7,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,464
+187 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#7,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,121
-343 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 273 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,196 | 4,277 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,466 | 4,464 | 1.51 | +187 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #7,739 | 4,121 | 1.38 | -343 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 273 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 Hance 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 | #7,466 | #7,739 | -3.7% |
| Count | 4,464 | 4,121 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.38 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hance bearers went from 4,464 to 4,121 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 273 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,466 to #7,739.
FAQ
Hance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hance?
Name Census estimates that about 4,726 living Americans carry the surname Hance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,525 residents.
How common is Hance?
Hance ranks #7,739 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,121 people with the surname Hance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,726), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hance.
Has Hance become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hance went from 4,464 recorded bearers to 4,121. That is a decrease of 343 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,466 to #7,739.
What does the Census say about the background of Hance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hance, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (3,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hance (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 Hance mean?
Derived from a medieval nickname for a person who was skilled with a lance or spear. 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 Hance (1.38 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 Hance?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Hance, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.