2000
#5,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.34
Rare Last name
Hann
Derived from a nickname for a tall or aggressive person, from the Middle English "henn" meaning "wild cock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,923 Americans carry the last name Hann. That puts it at #6,331 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hann 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 Hann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,868
Census rank
#6,331
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,165 bearers of the surname Hann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6331st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hann, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hann
The surname Hann has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Hann, which is a short form of Johannes or Johann, meaning "God is gracious." The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hann can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dating back to 1195. The name is mentioned in reference to a certain Hermannus Hann, a landowner in the region.
In the 13th century, the surname Hann appears in various records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. The town's annals mention a Henricus Hann, a prominent merchant who lived between 1230 and 1295.
The Hann surname is also closely linked to the town of Hannover in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is believed that the town's name, which means "high bank," may have influenced the spelling of the surname in some cases.
One notable historical figure bearing the Hann surname was Johann Hann (1466-1537), a German Renaissance humanist and scholar from Nuremberg. He was a prolific writer and translator, known for his works on rhetoric and philosophy.
Another prominent individual was Johann Gottfried Hann (1763-1819), a German theologian and philosopher from Saxony. He was a professor at the University of Leipzig and authored several influential works on ethics and theology.
In the 18th century, the Hann surname gained recognition through the accomplishments of Johann Jakob Hann (1737-1819), a German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
The name Hann also has connections to Scotland, where it is believed to have been introduced by German immigrants in the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable Scottish bearer of the name was James Hann (1799-1856), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Glasgow.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Johann Nepomuk Hann (1829-1891), an Austrian meteorologist and climatologist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of climate research and made significant contributions to the understanding of atmospheric phenomena.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hann
Among Census respondents with the surname Hann, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hann 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 Hann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 4,409
- Black or African American4.9% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 165
- Two or more races3.1% · 160
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hann
Hann 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
#5,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,420
+104 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 323 places
2020
#6,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,165
-1,255 bearers (-19.5%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 910 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,098 | 6,316 | 2.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,421 | 6,420 | 2.18 | +104 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 323 places |
| 2020 | #6,331 | 5,165 | 1.73 | -1,255 bearers (-19.5%) | Down 910 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 Hann 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 | #5,421 | #6,331 | -16.8% |
| Count | 6,420 | 5,165 | -19.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 1.73 | -20.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hann bearers went from 6,420 to 5,165 (-19.5% change). The surname moved down 910 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,421 to #6,331.
FAQ
Hann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hann?
Name Census estimates that about 5,923 living Americans carry the surname Hann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,868 residents.
How common is Hann?
Hann ranks #6,331 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,165 people with the surname Hann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,923), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hann.
Has Hann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hann went from 6,420 recorded bearers to 5,165. That is a decrease of 1,255 (-19.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,421 to #6,331.
What does the Census say about the background of Hann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hann, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Hann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (4,409 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Black (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Hann (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 Hann mean?
Derived from a nickname for a tall or aggressive person, from the Middle English "henn" meaning "wild cock." 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 Hann (1.73 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 Hann?
You can see how many people have the last name Hann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.