2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hanff
An occupational German surname referring to a person who worked with hemp or flax.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Hanff. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hanff 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Hanff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanff, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hanff
The surname Hanff is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Hesse, a state in central Germany. The name is derived from the Old German word "han," meaning rooster or cock, and is likely an occupational surname referring to someone who raised or traded in these fowl.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hanff can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Rhineland region, dating back to the 13th century. Here, the name appears as "Hanefe," an early spelling variation. This suggests that the name was already in use during this time period.
In the 15th century, the name Hanff is documented in various municipal records from the city of Frankfurt, where it appears as both a surname and a place name. This could indicate that the name was associated with a specific location or region within the city limits.
Notable individuals with the surname Hanff include Johann Hanff (1644-1712), a German Protestant theologian and author of several religious texts. Another prominent figure was Georg Hanff (1783-1865), a German painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
In the 19th century, the name Hanff is found in records from the Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, where it was likely concentrated due to the surname's origins in the region. One person of note from this period was Heinrich Hanff (1827-1898), a German-American immigrant who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in the United States.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Hanff was the German-American writer and naturalist Helene Hanff (1916-1997). Her best-known work, "84 Charing Cross Road," is a collection of letters chronicling her correspondence with a London bookshop.
While the surname Hanff may have originated as an occupational name, it eventually became widespread throughout Germany and beyond, carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hanff
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanff, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hanff 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 Hanff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 103
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hanff
Hanff 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,961 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 12,961 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Up 3,911 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 Hanff 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 | #145,220 | #141,309 | 2.7% |
| Count | 114 | 121 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hanff bearers went from 114 to 121 (+6.1% change). The surname moved up 3,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #141,309.
FAQ
Hanff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hanff?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Hanff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Hanff?
Hanff ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Hanff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Hanff.
Has Hanff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hanff went from 114 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 7 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Hanff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanff, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Hanff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hanff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Hanff (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 Hanff mean?
An occupational German surname referring to a person who worked with hemp or flax. 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 Hanff (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 Hanff?
See how many people have the surname Hanff on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.