2000
#3,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.76
Uncommon Last name
Hanlon
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAnluain, meaning "descendant of Anluan," a personal name derived from the elements "an" (noble) and "luan" (warrior).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,492 Americans carry the last name Hanlon. That puts it at #3,474 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,825 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hanlon 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 Hanlon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 29,825
Census rank
#3,474
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,022 bearers of the surname Hanlon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3474th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hanlon
The surname Hanlon has its roots in Ireland, originating from the Irish Gaelic "Ó hAnluain" or "Ó hAnluaine," meaning "descendant of Anluain." The prefix "Ó" signifies "grandson" or "descendant." The name Anluain is derived from the Gaelic elements "an" (the) and "luan" (warrior).
The earliest recorded instance of the name Hanlon can be traced back to the 13th century in County Roscommon, Ireland. The Hanlons were a prominent family in this region and held significant lands and power. In medieval Irish records, the name appeared in various spellings, such as O'Hanlone, O'Hanloun, and O'Hanlon.
One notable historical reference to the Hanlon name is found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Donnchadh Ó hAnluain who was killed in 1253 during a conflict between rival Irish clans.
In the 16th century, the Hanlons were among the families who lost their lands during the Plantation of Ulster, a organized colonization of Ulster by English and Scottish settlers. Despite this, the name persisted, and some Hanlons remained in Ireland, while others migrated to other parts of the world.
Notable individuals with the surname Hanlon include:
1. Patrick Hanlon (c. 1640 - c. 1710), an Irish Catholic priest and author who wrote about the Penal Laws against Catholics in Ireland.
2. Michael Hanlon (1766 - 1847), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and co-founder of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kentucky.
3. Joseph Hanlon (1825 - 1892), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana.
4. Alfred Thomas Hanlon (1857 - 1935), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
5. Edwin Hanlon (1892 - 1973), an American professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves.
The Hanlon surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Hanlon's Lough in County Roscommon, which was named after the prominent Hanlon family who once owned lands in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hanlon
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hanlon 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 Hanlon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 9,268
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 310
- Two or more races3.0% · 298
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 66
- Black or African American0.5% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hanlon
Hanlon 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
#3,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,278
+140 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 3.48
Rank movement Down 237 places
2020
#3,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,022
-256 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,239 | 10,138 | 3.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,476 | 10,278 | 3.48 | +140 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 237 places |
| 2020 | #3,474 | 10,022 | 3.35 | -256 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 2 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 Hanlon 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 | #3,476 | #3,474 | 0.1% |
| Count | 10,278 | 10,022 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.48 | 3.35 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hanlon bearers went from 10,278 to 10,022 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,476 to #3,474.
FAQ
Hanlon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hanlon?
Name Census estimates that about 11,492 living Americans carry the surname Hanlon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,825 residents.
How common is Hanlon?
Hanlon ranks #3,474 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,022 people with the surname Hanlon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,492), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hanlon.
Has Hanlon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hanlon went from 10,278 recorded bearers to 10,022. That is a decrease of 256 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,476 to #3,474.
What does the Census say about the background of Hanlon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hanlon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (9,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hanlon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hanlon (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 Hanlon mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAnluain, meaning "descendant of Anluan," a personal name derived from the elements "an" (noble) and "luan" (warrior). 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 Hanlon (3.35 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 share the surname Hanlon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.