2000
#14,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,974
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Hankinson
Derived from a place name meaning "son of Hankin," a diminutive of Hank or John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,381 Americans carry the last name Hankinson. That puts it at #13,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hankinson 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 Hankinson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,954
Census rank
#13,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,076 bearers of the surname Hankinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hankinson
The surname Hankinson is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England during the medieval period, specifically in the areas around Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The name Hankinson is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the given name of an ancestor. It is believed to have originated from the Old English personal name "Hankin" or "Hanekyn," which were diminutive forms of the name "Han," a shortened version of the Germanic name "Johannes" or "John."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hankinson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Hanekinus" in Yorkshire. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a "Robert Hankinson" listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. Other early spellings of the name include "Hankynson," "Hankynsone," and "Hankynsonn," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation during that time.
One notable figure with the surname Hankinson was Sir John Hankinson (c. 1515-1585), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Liverpool during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the city's governance and was involved in the establishment of Liverpool's first grammar school.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Hankinson (1608-1678), an English clergyman and Puritan minister who served as the Rector of St. Margaret's Church in Lynn, Norfolk. He was known for his strong religious convictions and his support for the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Robert Hankinson (1720-1798) was a notable English clockmaker and inventor from Liverpool. He is credited with several innovations in clock and watch design, and his work was highly regarded in his time.
John Hankinson (1822-1894) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Liverpool, including the Liverpool Collegiate Institution and the Birkenhead Town Hall. He was also involved in the restoration of several historic churches in the region.
Moving into the 19th century, William Hankinson (1864-1949) was a prominent English artist and painter known for his landscapes and seascapes. He was a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and had several successful exhibitions during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hankinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hankinson 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 Hankinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 1,753
- Black or African American7.4% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 79
- Two or more races2.9% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hankinson
Hankinson 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
#14,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,142
+168 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#13,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
-66 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,020 | 1,974 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,058 | 2,142 | 0.73 | +168 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #13,915 | 2,076 | 0.69 | -66 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 143 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 Hankinson 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 | #14,058 | #13,915 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,142 | 2,076 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.69 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hankinson bearers went from 2,142 to 2,076 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,058 to #13,915.
FAQ
Hankinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hankinson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,381 living Americans carry the surname Hankinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,954 residents.
How common is Hankinson?
Hankinson ranks #13,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,076 people with the surname Hankinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,381), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Hankinson.
Has Hankinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hankinson went from 2,142 recorded bearers to 2,076. That is a decrease of 66 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,058 to #13,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Hankinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (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 Hankinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (1,753 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hankinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (7.4%), Hispanic (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 Hankinson (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 Hankinson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "son of Hankin," a diminutive of Hank or 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 Hankinson (0.69 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 Hankinson?
See how common the surname Hankinson is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.