2000
#15,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,727
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Hanselman
A German surname meaning "little Hans" or "son of Hans".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,647 Americans carry the last name Hanselman. That puts it at #18,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 208,108 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hanselman 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
1.6K
1 in 208,108
Census rank
#18,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,436 bearers of the surname Hanselman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hanselman
The surname Hanselman is believed to have its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic words "hans" meaning "John" and "mann" meaning "man," suggesting it may have initially been a descriptive name given to someone named John or a variation of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hanselman can be found in the village of Wiesenburg, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where a family by the name of Hanselman was documented in the late 1500s. It is possible that the name was initially associated with a particular occupation or trade, as was common during that time period.
In the 17th century, the Hanselman name began to appear in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Hesse. This suggests that members of the family may have migrated to different parts of the country, potentially in search of better opportunities or due to religious or political reasons.
Records from the 18th century indicate that the Hanselman surname had spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and France. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Hanselman" or "Hanselmans," while in France, it was often written as "Hanselmann."
One notable figure bearing the Hanselman surname was Johann Hanselman, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1643 to 1712. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran church and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
Another individual of note was Karl Hanselman, a German-born architect who lived from 1784 to 1859. He is known for his contributions to the neoclassical architectural style and was involved in the design of several notable buildings in Berlin and other parts of Germany.
In the 19th century, the Hanselman name began to appear in various parts of the United States, likely due to immigration from Germany and other European countries. One notable American with this surname was William Hanselman, a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who served from 1861 to 1865.
Another significant figure was Henry Hanselman, a German-American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1826 to 1901. He was involved in the steel industry and made significant contributions to educational and charitable institutions in Pennsylvania.
As the Hanselman surname spread throughout Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, it undoubtedly experienced variations in spelling and pronunciation, reflecting the diverse cultures and languages it encountered. However, its origins can be traced back to the Germanic roots of "hans" and "mann," offering a glimpse into the rich history and evolution of this surname over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hanselman
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hanselman 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 Hanselman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,344
- Two or more races3.7% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hanselman
Hanselman 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
#15,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,872
+145 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#18,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,436
-436 bearers (-23.3%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 3,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,551 | 1,727 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,611 | 1,872 | 0.63 | +145 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #18,934 | 1,436 | 0.48 | -436 bearers (-23.3%) | Down 3,323 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 Hanselman 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 | #15,611 | #18,934 | -21.3% |
| Count | 1,872 | 1,436 | -23.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.48 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hanselman bearers went from 1,872 to 1,436 (-23.3% change). The surname moved down 3,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,611 to #18,934.
FAQ
Hanselman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hanselman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,647 living Americans carry the surname Hanselman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 208,108 residents.
How common is Hanselman?
Hanselman ranks #18,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,436 people with the surname Hanselman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Hanselman.
Has Hanselman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hanselman went from 1,872 recorded bearers to 1,436. That is a decrease of 436 (-23.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,611 to #18,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Hanselman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Hanselman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hanselman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Hanselman (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 Hanselman mean?
A German surname meaning "little Hans" or "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 Hanselman (0.48 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 Hanselman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Hanselman is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.