2000
#1,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.17
Uncommon Last name
Hand
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold gloves or worked as a servant or laborer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,043 Americans carry the last name Hand. That puts it at #1,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hand 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 Hand with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,256
Census rank
#1,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,967 bearers of the surname Hand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hand, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hand
The surname HAND has its origins in the English language, deriving from the Old English word "hand," meaning quite literally the part of the body at the end of the arm. It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the late 12th century, initially used as a descriptive name for someone with notable or distinctive hands, perhaps large or skilled hands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HAND can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, England, from the year 1194, which mentions a Thomas Hand. This suggests the surname was already established in certain regions of England by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname HAND appears in various records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert le Hand in Oxfordshire. The prefix "le" was commonly used to distinguish surnames during this period.
The surname HAND has also been linked to certain place names, such as Handsworth, a town in the West Midlands of England. This place name is derived from the Old English words "hand" and "worth," meaning an enclosed settlement or farm belonging to someone named Hand.
One notable figure bearing the surname HAND was Sir John Hand (c. 1470 - c. 1545), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire in 1532.
Another historical figure of note was Thomas Hand (1597 - 1662), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1657 until his death.
In the 17th century, the HAND surname was present in the American colonies, with records showing individuals such as John Hand (c. 1615 - 1706), a settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Daniel Hand (1649 - 1721), a Connecticut landowner and magistrate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in Scotland was that of Robert Hand, born in Aberdeen in 1646. He later became a minister and professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
In Ireland, the HAND surname has been traced back to the 16th century, with records mentioning individuals such as Nicholas Hand, born in Dublin in 1588, who was a merchant and alderman in the city.
Throughout history, the HAND surname has been prominently represented across various fields, including politics, religion, academia, and business, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark on numerous communities and societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hand
Among Census respondents with the surname Hand, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hand 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 Hand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 17,957
- Black or African American5.9% · 1,242
- Two or more races3.8% · 804
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 661
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 138
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hand
Hand 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
#1,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,006
-28 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 7.46
Rank movement Down 158 places
2020
#1,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,967
-1,039 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 7.01
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,481 | 22,034 | 8.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,639 | 22,006 | 7.46 | -28 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 158 places |
| 2020 | #1,680 | 20,967 | 7.01 | -1,039 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 41 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 Hand 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 | #1,639 | #1,680 | -2.5% |
| Count | 22,006 | 20,967 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.46 | 7.01 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hand bearers went from 22,006 to 20,967 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,639 to #1,680.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hand
FAQ
Hand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hand?
Name Census estimates that about 24,043 living Americans carry the surname Hand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,256 residents.
How common is Hand?
Hand ranks #1,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,967 people with the surname Hand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,043), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Hand.
Has Hand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hand went from 22,006 recorded bearers to 20,967. That is a decrease of 1,039 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,639 to #1,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Hand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hand, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (17,957 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hand (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 Hand mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold gloves or worked as a servant or laborer. 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 Hand (7.01 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 Hand?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Hand at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.