2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hankal
A variant spelling of an uncommon Armenian surname with an unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Hankal. 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 Hankal 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 Hankal 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 Hankal, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hankal
The surname Hankal is believed to have originated in the region of Transylvania, a historic region situated in present-day central Romania. It is thought to have emerged sometime during the late 16th or early 17th century, a period when many surnames were being established across Europe.
The name Hankal is likely derived from the Romanian word "han," which means an inn or a tavern. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been individuals who operated or owned an inn or a tavern in one of the towns or villages in Transylvania.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hankal can be found in the parish records of the town of Sibiu, dating back to the late 17th century. These records document the baptism of a child named Petru Hankal in the year 1695, indicating that the Hankal family had already established roots in the region by that time.
In the 18th century, the name Hankal appears to have spread beyond Transylvania, with records showing individuals bearing this surname in other parts of Romania, as well as in neighboring regions such as Hungary and Moldova. One notable individual from this period was Ioan Hankal (1725-1798), a prominent merchant and landowner from the city of Brasov.
As the centuries progressed, the Hankal surname continued to be carried by individuals across Eastern Europe. In the 19th century, a prominent figure bearing this name was Mihai Hankal (1842-1912), a Romanian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for a brief period in the late 1800s.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hankal include:
1. Andrei Hankal (1879-1945), a Romanian painter and art educator known for his landscape and portrait works.
2. Ileana Hankal (1908-1983), a Romanian author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories.
3. Gheorghe Hankal (1926-2001), a Romanian mathematician and university professor who made significant contributions to the field of number theory.
4. Mircea Hankal (1948-2022), a Romanian chess grandmaster and one of the strongest players in his country's history.
5. Adriana Hankal (born 1972), a Romanian-born Canadian actress and theater director who has worked extensively in both countries.
While the surname Hankal may not be as widely known as some other Romanian surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back several centuries, spanning various fields and professions across Eastern Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hankal
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankal, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hankal 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 Hankal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 102
- Two or more races9.9% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hankal
Hankal 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,273 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+13 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,223 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 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 19,273 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 10,223 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 Hankal 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 | #151,532 | #141,309 | 6.7% |
| Count | 108 | 121 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hankal bearers went from 108 to 121 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 10,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #141,309.
FAQ
Hankal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hankal?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Hankal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Hankal?
Hankal 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 Hankal. 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 Hankal.
Has Hankal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hankal went from 108 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 13 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Hankal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankal, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Hankal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hankal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Two or More Races (9.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Hankal (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 Hankal mean?
A variant spelling of an uncommon Armenian surname with an unknown meaning. 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 Hankal (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 have the last name Hankal?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Hankal is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.