2000
#1,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.35
Uncommon Last name
Hanks
A surname of English origin, derived from a nickname meaning "gracious" or "God is gracious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,091 Americans carry the last name Hanks. That puts it at #2,114 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hanks 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 Hanks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,954
Census rank
#2,114
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,648 bearers of the surname Hanks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2114th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanks, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hanks
The surname Hanks originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the male given name Han, a diminutive form of Johannes, which is the medieval English variation of John. The name Han was often combined with the diminutive suffix "-kin" to form Hankin or Hankins. Over time, this evolved into the surname Hanks.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Hanks can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, where it is listed as Hanekinus. This suggests that the name was already established in certain regions of England by the 13th century. Other early spellings include Hankyns, Hankyn, and Hankyn.
Historically, the surname Hanks was particularly prevalent in the counties of Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, as these counties have a high concentration of early records of individuals bearing the surname.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England, there are no direct mentions of the surname Hanks. However, the name Johannes, from which Hanks is derived, appears frequently throughout the record.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Hanks was John Hanks, who was born in Worcestershire around 1490. Another notable figure was Sir Michael Hanks, a wealthy merchant and alderman in London during the 16th century.
During the 17th century, the Hanks surname gained prominence with the birth of Benjamin Hanks (1644-1687), a prominent Quaker leader and author from Pennsylvania. His son, William Hanks (1668-1744), was a respected minister and helped establish several Quaker meetings in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In the 18th century, John Hanks (1733-1806) served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Kentucky, where he became a respected frontier settler and farmer.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Hanks was Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks (1784-1818). Her family had roots in England, and she was born in Virginia before later moving to Kentucky.
Throughout history, the surname Hanks has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, religious leaders, soldiers, and pioneers. While the exact origins of the name may be difficult to pinpoint, its enduring presence in English and American history is a testament to its longevity and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hanks
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanks, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hanks 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 Hanks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 13,400
- Black or African American10.0% · 1,665
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 636
- Two or more races3.8% · 627
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hanks
Hanks 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
#2,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,498
+357 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 5.93
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#2,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,648
-850 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 5.57
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,928 | 17,141 | 6.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,066 | 17,498 | 5.93 | +357 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #2,114 | 16,648 | 5.57 | -850 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 48 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 Hanks 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 | #2,066 | #2,114 | -2.3% |
| Count | 17,498 | 16,648 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.93 | 5.57 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hanks bearers went from 17,498 to 16,648 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,066 to #2,114.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hanks
FAQ
Hanks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hanks?
Name Census estimates that about 19,091 living Americans carry the surname Hanks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,954 residents.
How common is Hanks?
Hanks ranks #2,114 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,648 people with the surname Hanks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,091), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hanks.
Has Hanks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hanks went from 17,498 recorded bearers to 16,648. That is a decrease of 850 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,066 to #2,114.
What does the Census say about the background of Hanks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanks, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) 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 Hanks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (13,400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hanks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.0%), 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 Hanks (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 Hanks mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a nickname meaning "gracious" or "God is gracious." 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 Hanks (5.57 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 Hanks?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Hanks on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.