2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hansan
A surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Hans".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Hansan. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hansan 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.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Hansan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hansan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hansan
The surname HANSAN originated in Germany during the medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old German words "han" and "san," which together mean "the son of Han." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were descendants of a man named Han.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HANSAN surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. In this manuscript, dated 1347, a man named Johannes Hansan is mentioned as a resident of the town of Rathenow.
Another early reference to the name appears in the Cartulary of the Abbey of St. Gall, a Swiss monastery. This document, dating back to the late 14th century, includes a record of a man named Heinricus Hansan, who was a tenant farmer on the abbey's lands.
During the 15th century, the HANSAN name began to spread across various regions of Germany. In 1462, a man named Konrad Hansan was listed as a citizen of the city of Nuremberg in the city's tax records.
One notable individual with the HANSAN surname was Johann Hansan, a German composer and organist who lived from 1551 to 1609. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the Reformation era.
Another significant bearer of the HANSAN name was Wilhelm Hansan, a German lawyer and politician who lived from 1812 to 1884. He served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and was a prominent advocate for legal reform.
In the 19th century, the HANSAN surname also appeared in various parts of Europe, likely due to migration and population movements. For example, in 1867, a man named Pavel Hansan was recorded as a resident of the town of Rzhev in Russia.
Throughout its history, the HANSAN surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Hansson, Hansohn, and Hansohn, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hansan
Among Census respondents with the surname Hansan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hansan 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 Hansan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 91
- Black or African American10.4% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hansan
Hansan 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-13 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,348 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 20,348 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,119 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 Hansan 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 | #145,220 | #152,339 | -4.9% |
| Count | 114 | 106 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hansan bearers went from 114 to 106 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,339.
FAQ
Hansan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hansan?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Hansan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Hansan?
Hansan ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Hansan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hansan.
Has Hansan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hansan went from 114 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Hansan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hansan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Hansan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hansan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (10.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Hansan (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 Hansan mean?
A surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Hans". 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 Hansan (0.04 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 Hansan?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Hansan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.