Hamilton
A masculine name of Scottish origin meaning "treeless hill".
Name Census estimates that about 4,222 living Americans carry the first name Hamilton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hamilton today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hamilton births was 2016 (98 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hamilton. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hamilton with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.2K
~ 1 in 81,183 Americans
Peak year
2016
98 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,640
Tracked since 1880
Census
Hamilton in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,602 people with the first name Hamilton, which placed it at #4,170 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,170
National first-name rank
People counted
4.6K
4,602 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
53.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamilton
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hamilton is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.3%) and Black (17.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hamilton 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hamilton at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.5% · 2,462
- Hispanic or Latino18.3% · 843
- Black or African American17.3% · 798
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 286
- Two or more races4.0% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
Popularity
Hamilton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hamilton from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 793 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hamilton remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hamilton by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hamilton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hamiltons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Hamilton, while Washington, Oklahoma, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 85 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hamilton
The given name Hamilton has its roots in the Old English language and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the combination of two Old English words: "ham," meaning a homestead or village, and "tun," which translates to an enclosure or settlement. This suggests that the name Hamilton likely originated as a place name, referring to a settlement or hamlet.
During the Middle Ages, the name Hamilton was prevalent in various parts of England, particularly in regions where Old English was spoken. It gained popularity as a surname among families who hailed from or resided in these settlements bearing the name Hamilton. Over time, the surname evolved into a given name, often bestowed upon male children.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Hamilton can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions several places with variations of the name, such as "Hameltone" and "Hamelton," indicating the name's longstanding presence in England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hamilton. One of the most prominent figures was Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a Founding Father of the United States, famous for his influential role in shaping the nation's financial system and serving as the first Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington.
Another historical figure bearing this name was Sir William Hamilton (1730-1803), a renowned British diplomat, antiquarian, and archaeologist. He played a significant role in the excavation and preservation of ancient artifacts from the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, contributing greatly to the understanding of classical Roman civilization.
In the realm of literature, Hamilton is the name of the protagonist in John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost" (1667). This character, inspired by biblical accounts, represents the first human created by God and serves as a central figure in the narrative of the Fall of Man.
Walter Hamilton (1908-1988) was a distinguished American writer and journalist, best known for his acclaimed memoir "The Bright Promise" (1947), which chronicled his experiences during the Great Depression and World War II.
Lastly, Edith Hamilton (1867-1963) was a prominent American educator and author who played a pivotal role in popularizing classical Greek and Roman literature and mythology. Her influential works, such as "The Greek Way" (1930) and "Mythology" (1942), helped bring ancient tales and traditions to a wider audience.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the name Hamilton throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence and significance across various fields and eras.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Hamilton
People
Hamilton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hamilton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hamilton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hamilton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,222 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hamilton going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 81,183 US residents.
Is Hamilton a common name?
We classify Hamilton as "Rare". It ranks above 96.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,479 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hamilton most popular?
The single biggest year for Hamilton was 2016, when 98 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hamilton is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hamilton in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,602 people with the name Hamilton, or 1.52 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,170 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hamilton in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hamilton?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hamilton leans strongly male. 4,481 people counted with this name were male (97.2%), compared with 127 female bearers (2.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hamilton?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hamilton is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.3%) and Black (17.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hamilton most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Hamilton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.5% (2,462 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hamilton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hamilton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hamilton in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hamilton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hamilton in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hamilton can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Hamilton?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.