2000
#5,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,351
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Hash
A metonymic occupational surname for a maker or seller of a dish consisting of chopped or minced meat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,634 Americans carry the last name Hash. That puts it at #6,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hash 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hash with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 60,837
Census rank
#6,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,913 bearers of the surname Hash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hash, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hash
The surname "HASH" is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages in Germany, where it was likely derived from the Old German word "hasch," meaning "swift" or "nimble." The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, found in various medieval German records and manuscripts.
In the late 14th century, a notable reference to the surname HASH appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, an important collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg. The name is mentioned in connection with a landowner, Heinrich HASH, who held property near the town of Spandau.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it evolved into various spellings, such as Hasch, Hasche, and Haasch. Some of these variants can be found in the Bürgermeisterbücher (Mayor's Books) of cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg, which recorded the names of prominent citizens during the Renaissance period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the HASH surname was Johannes HASH, a scholar and theologian born in Heidelberg in 1482. He studied at the University of Paris and later became a professor at the University of Tübingen, where he taught until his death in 1549.
In the 17th century, the name HASH was also associated with the town of Haschen, located in what is now the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. This place name may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.
Another notable figure was Gottfried HASH (1660-1727), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (Chapel Master) at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. His compositions, particularly his church music, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the HASH surname gained prominence in the field of literature with the writer and poet August HASH (1812-1887). Born in Stuttgart, he was part of the Swabian literary movement and published several collections of poetry and short stories.
While the name HASH has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. Despite its relatively low frequency, the surname has left its mark on history, with bearers contributing to various fields, including academia, music, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hash
Among Census respondents with the surname Hash, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hash 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 Hash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 4,332
- Black or African American4.4% · 216
- Two or more races3.6% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hash
Hash 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
#6,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,397
-954 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 1,258 places
2020
#6,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,913
-484 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,067 | 6,351 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,325 | 5,397 | 1.83 | -954 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 1,258 places |
| 2020 | #6,613 | 4,913 | 1.64 | -484 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 288 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 Hash 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 | #6,325 | #6,613 | -4.6% |
| Count | 5,397 | 4,913 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.64 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hash bearers went from 5,397 to 4,913 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,325 to #6,613.
FAQ
Hash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hash?
Name Census estimates that about 5,634 living Americans carry the surname Hash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,837 residents.
How common is Hash?
Hash ranks #6,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,913 people with the surname Hash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,634), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hash.
Has Hash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hash went from 5,397 recorded bearers to 4,913. That is a decrease of 484 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,325 to #6,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Hash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hash, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (4,332 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hash (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 Hash mean?
A metonymic occupational surname for a maker or seller of a dish consisting of chopped or minced meat. 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 Hash (1.64 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 Americans have the surname Hash?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.