2000
#13,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Hankerson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hanker, a diminutive of Hank, a variant of John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,542 Americans carry the last name Hankerson. That puts it at #13,200 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,836 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hankerson 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
2.5K
1 in 134,836
Census rank
#13,200
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,217 bearers of the surname Hankerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13200th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankerson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hankerson
The surname Hankerson is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "hana" meaning "rooster" and "hers" meaning "grove" or "wooded area." This suggests that the name may have been a locational surname, referring to a person who lived near a wooded area where roosters were kept.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hankerson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1273, where a person named Willelmus de Hannokershoure is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Hannokershoure," provides insight into the evolution of the name over time.
During the 13th century, the name Hankerson was concentrated primarily in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire in the West Midlands region of England. It is possible that the name originated in one of these areas and later spread to other parts of the country.
In the 14th century, the surname Hankerson appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a person named John Hankerson was recorded as a taxpayer in the year 1327. This early record suggests that the spelling of the name had stabilized by this point.
One notable figure in history who bore the surname Hankerson was Sir Thomas Hankerson (1520-1589), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his support of the Church of England and his opposition to Catholic influence in the country.
Another individual of note was Reverend William Hankerson (1635-1701), a Puritan minister who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, England. He was a prominent figure in the local community and was known for his passionate sermons and strict adherence to Puritan principles.
In the 18th century, the Hankerson family produced a notable military figure, Captain John Hankerson (1745-1812), who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was present at several key battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Yorktown.
During the Victorian era, the name Hankerson was associated with the industrial revolution in England. Robert Hankerson (1810-1878) was a successful textile manufacturer in Manchester, known for his innovative techniques and fair treatment of his workers.
Another notable figure from this period was Mary Hankerson (1841-1912), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded one of the first schools for girls in London and worked tirelessly to promote equal educational opportunities for women.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hankerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankerson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hankerson 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 Hankerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.4% · 1,848
- White6.8% · 150
- Two or more races5.0% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hankerson
Hankerson 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
#12,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,561
+427 bearers (+20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 967 places
2020
#13,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,217
-344 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,030 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,137 | 2,134 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,170 | 2,561 | 0.87 | +427 bearers (+20.0%) | Up 967 places |
| 2020 | #13,200 | 2,217 | 0.74 | -344 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 1,030 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 Hankerson 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 | #12,170 | #13,200 | -8.5% |
| Count | 2,561 | 2,217 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.74 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hankerson bearers went from 2,561 to 2,217 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 1,030 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,170 to #13,200.
FAQ
Hankerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hankerson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,542 living Americans carry the surname Hankerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,836 residents.
How common is Hankerson?
Hankerson ranks #13,200 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,217 people with the surname Hankerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Hankerson.
Has Hankerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hankerson went from 2,561 recorded bearers to 2,217. That is a decrease of 344 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,170 to #13,200.
What does the Census say about the background of Hankerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankerson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Two or More Races (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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hankerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (1,848 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hankerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (83.4%), White (6.8%), Two or More Races (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 Hankerson (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 Hankerson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hanker, a diminutive of Hank, a variant of John. 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 Hankerson (0.74 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 Hankerson?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hankerson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.