2000
#27,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 819
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Hyams
A surname of Anglo-Jewish origin, derived from the Hebrew male name "Chaim" meaning "life".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 828 Americans carry the last name Hyams. That puts it at #33,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 413,955 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hyams 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 Hyams with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
828
1 in 413,955
Census rank
#33,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
722
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 722 bearers of the surname Hyams in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyams, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hyams
The surname Hyams has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is an anglicized variation of the Old French surname Hiam, which itself derived from the personal name Haimon or Hamon. These names stem from the Germanic elements "haim" meaning "home" and "mund" meaning "protection."
The earliest recorded instances of the Hyams surname appear in various medieval records from the 13th and 14th centuries. It was particularly prevalent in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall in southwestern England. The name may have originated from place names like Ham or Hame in these regions, which were derived from the Old English word "hamm" meaning "enclosure" or "homestead."
One notable historical reference to the Hyams name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327, which mention a John Hiam. Additionally, the Plea Rolls of the Exchequer from 1384 record a Richard Hyam in Devon.
In the 16th century, the Hyams surname appeared in various spellings, including Hyam, Hiam, Hiams, and Hymes, reflecting the inconsistencies in English orthography during that time period.
Notable individuals bearing the Hyams surname throughout history include:
1. William Hyams (c. 1602-1677), an English merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Horsham in 1660.
2. Samuel Hyams (1734-1808), a prominent English clockmaker and watchmaker based in London.
3. Thomas Hyams (1776-1853), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes in Sussex.
4. Edward Hyams (1834-1912), a British journalist and author who wrote extensively about the British Empire and colonial affairs.
5. Ralph Hyams (1888-1961), an American screenwriter and film producer who worked on several notable films in the 1930s and 1940s, including "The Lady Eve" and "The Palm Beach Story."
While the Hyams surname is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its Old French and Germanic linguistic roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hyams
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyams, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hyams 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 Hyams surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 631
- Black or African American4.4% · 32
- Two or more races4.3% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hyams
Hyams 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
#27,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 857
+38 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 305 places
2020
#33,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 722
-135 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 5,910 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,669 | 819 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,974 | 857 | 0.29 | +38 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 305 places |
| 2020 | #33,884 | 722 | 0.24 | -135 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 5,910 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 Hyams 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 | #27,974 | #33,884 | -21.1% |
| Count | 857 | 722 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.24 | -16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hyams bearers went from 857 to 722 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 5,910 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,974 to #33,884.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hyams
FAQ
Hyams surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hyams?
Name Census estimates that about 828 living Americans carry the surname Hyams. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 413,955 residents.
How common is Hyams?
Hyams ranks #33,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 722 people with the surname Hyams. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Hyams.
Has Hyams become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hyams went from 857 recorded bearers to 722. That is a decrease of 135 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,974 to #33,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Hyams?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyams, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hyams in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (631 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hyams appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hyams (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 Hyams mean?
A surname of Anglo-Jewish origin, derived from the Hebrew male name "Chaim" meaning "life". 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 Hyams (0.24 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 Hyams?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.