2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hansma
A Dutch surname derived from the male personal name "Hans".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Hansma. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hansma 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Hansma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hansma, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hansma
The surname Hansma is of Dutch origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "hans," which was a diminutive form of the name Johannes or John. The suffix "ma" was likely added to indicate a patronymic, suggesting that the name referred to the son of Hans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hansma can be found in the Dutch city of Groningen, where a family bearing this name resided in the late 1500s. Records from the Groningen Archives mention a Hansma family who owned a bakery in the city's center during this period.
In the 17th century, the Hansma name appears in various Dutch records, including the baptismal registers of several churches in the provinces of Friesland and Overijssel. One notable individual from this era was Pieter Hansma, a merchant born in Leeuwarden, Friesland, in 1625. He established trade routes between the Netherlands and the Baltic region, becoming a prominent figure in the city's commercial circles.
As the Dutch expanded their maritime and colonial activities, the Hansma name made its way to other parts of the world. In the late 18th century, a Hansma family settled in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), where they were involved in the spice trade. One member of this family, Cornelis Hansma (1760-1832), was a successful trader and plantation owner in Batavia (now Jakarta).
In the 19th century, the Hansma surname gained recognition in the field of academia. Johannes Hansma (1812-1882), a Dutch theologian and professor at the University of Groningen, authored several influential works on Reformed theology and church history.
Another notable figure was Pieter Hansma (1871-1945), a Dutch engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of the Afsluitdijk, a major causeway and dike in the Netherlands. His innovative engineering techniques and contributions to water management projects earned him widespread acclaim.
Among the more recent individuals bearing the Hansma name was Paul K. Hansma (1946-2023), an American physicist and nanotechnology pioneer. He made significant contributions to the development of atomic force microscopy and was a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
While the Hansma surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by Dutch immigrants and their descendants. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply intertwined with the rich cultural heritage of the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hansma
Among Census respondents with the surname Hansma, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hansma 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 Hansma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hansma
Hansma 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 991 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,728 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 991 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 6,728 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 Hansma 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 | #147,253 | #140,525 | 4.6% |
| Count | 112 | 122 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hansma bearers went from 112 to 122 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 6,728 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #140,525.
FAQ
Hansma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hansma?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Hansma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Hansma?
Hansma ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Hansma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Hansma.
Has Hansma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hansma went from 112 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 10 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Hansma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hansma, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hansma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hansma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hansma (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 Hansma mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the male personal name "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 Hansma (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 have the surname Hansma?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.