2000
#2,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,054
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.84
Uncommon Last name
Hemphill
An English locational surname derived from places meaning "hill where hemp was grown."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,605 Americans carry the last name Hemphill. That puts it at #2,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,468 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hemphill 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 Hemphill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,468
Census rank
#2,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,736 bearers of the surname Hemphill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemphill, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hemphill
The surname Hemphill originated in Scotland and is derived from the Gaelic words "cnoc channaich," which translate to "hill of hemp." This suggests that the name was likely first borne by someone who lived near a hill where hemp was grown or processed.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the county of Renfrewshire, Scotland. A manuscript from 1296 mentions a "Philip de Hemphill" who was a tenant of lands near the town of Lochwinnoch.
Over time, the name evolved with various spellings, such as Hemphil, Hempill, and Hemphyll, before settling on the modern form of Hemphill. These variations can be found in historical records throughout Scotland and Northern Ireland.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Hemphill (1470-1537), a Scottish nobleman and landowner who served as the Sheriff of Renfrewshire in the early 16th century. His family's coat of arms featured a hemp plant, further solidifying the connection between the name and the plant.
In the 17th century, many Hemphills migrated to Ireland, particularly to County Antrim and County Down, where they contributed to the Plantation of Ulster. One famous Irish Hemphill was Sir Robert Hemphill (1765-1831), a politician and judge who served as the Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1818.
As the Hemphill name spread throughout the British Isles, it also found its way to the American colonies in the 18th century. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of John Hemphill (1730-1807), a Scottish immigrant who became a prominent judge and politician in South Carolina.
Other notable individuals with the Hemphill surname include William Hemphill (1804-1862), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, and John Mark Hemphill (1798-1846), a U.S. Senator and Confederate politician from Texas.
Despite its Scottish origins, the Hemphill name has since become prevalent in various countries, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of the early Scottish and Irish settlers have established themselves.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hemphill
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemphill, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hemphill 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 Hemphill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.1% · 7,395
- Black or African American33.0% · 4,198
- Two or more races4.5% · 574
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 432
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hemphill
Hemphill 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
#2,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,495
+441 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 4.57
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#2,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,736
-759 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 4.26
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,542 | 13,054 | 4.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,672 | 13,495 | 4.57 | +441 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #2,755 | 12,736 | 4.26 | -759 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 83 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 Hemphill 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 | #2,672 | #2,755 | -3.1% |
| Count | 13,495 | 12,736 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.57 | 4.26 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hemphill bearers went from 13,495 to 12,736 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,672 to #2,755.
FAQ
Hemphill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hemphill?
Name Census estimates that about 14,605 living Americans carry the surname Hemphill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,468 residents.
How common is Hemphill?
Hemphill ranks #2,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,736 people with the surname Hemphill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Hemphill.
Has Hemphill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hemphill went from 13,495 recorded bearers to 12,736. That is a decrease of 759 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,672 to #2,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Hemphill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemphill, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hemphill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (7,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hemphill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.1%), Black (33.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hemphill (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 Hemphill mean?
An English locational surname derived from places meaning "hill where hemp was grown." 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 Hemphill (4.26 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 Hemphill?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Hemphill on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.