2000
#30,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 720
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Hancox
A surname derived from the Old English personal name "Hancca" or "Hanca".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 920 Americans carry the last name Hancox. That puts it at #31,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 372,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hancox 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 Hancox with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
920
1 in 372,559
Census rank
#31,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
802
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 802 bearers of the surname Hancox in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hancox, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hancox
The surname "Hancox" is an English surname that originated in the West Midlands region of England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hana" meaning rooster and "cocc" meaning little hill, possibly referring to someone who lived near a small hill or raised roosters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, where it was spelled as "Hancoc". The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a John Hancok from Worcestershire. The variant spelling "Hancox" emerged later in the 16th century.
The Hancox surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir William Hancox (1635-1701) was an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Leominster. John Hancox (1751-1828) was a renowned English engraver and artist known for his landscape and architectural etchings.
Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Hancox (1786-1865), a British clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Worcester. William Hancox (1795-1872) was a prominent English architect who designed several buildings in the Gothic Revival style, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Coventry.
The Hancox surname has also been linked to certain place names in the West Midlands region, such as Hancox Hill in Staffordshire and Hancox Lane in Worcestershire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname residing or owning land in those areas.
While the Hancox surname may have originated from humble beginnings, it has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including law, art, religion, and architecture. The surname's history and evolution reflect the rich tapestry of English culture and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hancox
Among Census respondents with the surname Hancox, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hancox 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 Hancox surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 602
- Black or African American14.8% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 39
- Two or more races3.6% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hancox
Hancox 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
#29,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 797
+77 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 1,001 places
2020
#31,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 802
+5 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,582 | 720 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,581 | 797 | 0.27 | +77 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,001 places |
| 2020 | #31,009 | 802 | 0.27 | +5 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 1,428 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 Hancox 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 | #29,581 | #31,009 | -4.8% |
| Count | 797 | 802 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.27 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hancox bearers went from 797 to 802 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 1,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,581 to #31,009.
FAQ
Hancox surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hancox?
Name Census estimates that about 920 living Americans carry the surname Hancox. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 372,559 residents.
How common is Hancox?
Hancox ranks #31,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 802 people with the surname Hancox. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (920), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Hancox.
Has Hancox become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hancox went from 797 recorded bearers to 802. That is an increase of 5 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,581 to #31,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Hancox?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hancox, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Hancox in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (602 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hancox appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (14.8%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Hancox (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 Hancox mean?
A surname derived from the Old English personal name "Hancca" or "Hanca". 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 Hancox (0.27 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 have the last name Hancox?
Want to know how many people have the surname Hancox? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.