Hemmes last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hemmes

A surname derived from the Dutch "hemme" meaning hem or border.

Hemmes, 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 Hemmes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hemmes in America

Hemmes is the 70645th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hemmes surname appeared 277 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hemmes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hemmes 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank7064570679-0.05%
Count2772587.10%
Proportion per 100k0.090.10-10.53%

The history of the last name Hemmes

The surname Hemmes has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "hemme," which means "hem" or "border," and may have originally referred to someone who lived near a border or boundary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hemmes can be found in the Dutch archives from the city of Leiden, where a certain Jan Hemmes was listed as a resident in the year 1587. Other early spellings of the name include Hemmis, Hemmes, and Hemmese.

In the 17th century, the name Hemmes was well-established in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen. It was particularly common in the town of Dokkum, where the Hemmes family played a significant role in local politics and commerce. Notable individuals from this time period include Dirk Hemmes (1610-1678), a prominent merchant and landowner in Dokkum.

As the Dutch colonized parts of the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries, some individuals bearing the name Hemmes likely emigrated to the New World. However, records of early Hemmes settlers in North America are scarce.

In the 19th century, the name Hemmes continued to be found throughout the Netherlands, particularly in the northern provinces. One notable figure was Petrus Hemmes (1815-1892), a Dutch theologian and professor at the University of Groningen.

Other individuals of note with the surname Hemmes include:

  1. Joannes Hemmes (1733-1810), a Dutch artist known for his landscape paintings.
  2. Pieter Hemmes (1865-1934), a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives.
  3. Carel Hemmes (1892-1971), a Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam.
  4. Trijntje Hemmes (1893-1967), a Dutch writer and poet from the province of Friesland.
  5. Gerrit Hemmes (1917-1992), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II and recipient of the Resistance Memorial Cross.

While the surname Hemmes is not among the most common in the Netherlands, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hemmes

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

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 Hemmes was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only98.19%272
Non-Hispanic Black Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Hemmes has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White98.19%98.06%0.13%
Black0.00%0.00%0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%0.00%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

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

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

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