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

Hanscom, 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 Hanscom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hanscom in America

Hanscom is the 15625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hanscom surname appeared 1,870 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hanscom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hanscom 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 Hanscom

The surname Hanscom is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "han" meaning "rock" and "cumb" meaning "valley" or "hollow," referring to a person who lived in a rocky valley or near a ravine.

One of the earliest known records of the Hanscom surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dating back to 1176, where it appeared as "Hanscoumbe." This document provides evidence of the name's existence during the reign of King Henry II.

During the 13th century, the name was also recorded in various forms, such as "Hanscombe" and "Hancombe," in various medieval records and charters from counties like Somerset, Dorset, and Devon in England.

The Hanscom surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was John Hanscom (1590-1659), an early settler in New England who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He was one of the founders of the town of Nantucket and served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts.

Another prominent bearer of the Hanscom name was Amos Hanscom (1744-1826), an American Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill and later became a farmer and landowner in Maine.

In the 19th century, Elijah Hanscom (1810-1891) gained recognition as a prominent educator and author from Maine. He served as the principal of the Farmington State Normal School (now the University of Maine at Farmington) and wrote several books on teaching methods and educational philosophy.

The name Hanscom has also been associated with geographical locations. For instance, Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts, was named after Laurence G. Hanscom (1886-1965), a pioneering aviator and aviation advocate in the United States.

Another notable individual was William Sargent Hanscom (1827-1899), a businessman and politician from Maine who served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine State Senate in the late 19th century.

While the Hanscom surname may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Old English language and the geographical features of rocky valleys and ravines, reflecting the origins of its early bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hanscom

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

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 Hanscom 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 Hanscom 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 Hanscom was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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