Find out how popular the last name Hans is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hans.

Hans, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hans surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hans in America

Hans is the 7516th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hans surname appeared 4,427 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hans.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hans to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hans

The surname HANS originated in Germany and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the personal name Hans, which was a German shortened form of the name Johannes, the German equivalent of John.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname HANS can be found in various German medieval records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae and the Monumenta Germaniae Historica. One notable example is the mention of a certain Conradus Hans in a document from the city of Erfurt, dated 1292.

In the 14th century, the surname HANS appeared in several regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was often associated with certain professions, such as tailors, shoemakers, and merchants, as evidenced by records from guild registers and tax rolls.

During the 16th century, the surname HANS gained prominence with the rise of the Protestant Reformation. One of the most influential figures of this era was Johannes Hans, a German theologian and reformer born in 1492 in Worms. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a crucial role in the dissemination of Protestant teachings throughout Germany.

Another notable bearer of the surname HANS was Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543), a renowned German artist and printmaker. He is best known for his portraits of prominent figures of the Tudor court, including King Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More.

In the 17th century, the surname HANS was carried to various parts of Europe by German immigrants. For instance, Johann Hans (1598-1667), a German-born settler, was among the first to establish a permanent settlement in what is now New York City, then known as New Amsterdam.

Other historical figures with the surname HANS include Hans Andersen (1805-1875), the celebrated Danish author and poet famous for his fairy tales, and Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851), a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered electromagnetism.

Throughout its long history, the surname HANS has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Hanss, Hanse, and Hanz, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes over time. However, its German origins and connection to the personal name Johannes have remained a consistent thread.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hans

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hans.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hans was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hans has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hans was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hans, please contact us.

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