2000
#442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,063
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.86
Uncommon Last name
Hammond
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a bend or curve in a river or road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 76,049 Americans carry the last name Hammond. That puts it at #494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hammond 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 Hammond with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
76K
1 in 4,507
Census rank
#494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
66K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 66,318 bearers of the surname Hammond in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammond, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hammond
The surname Hammond originates from England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "ham" meaning a homestead or village, and "dun" meaning a hill or low ridge. Thus, Hammond essentially means "one who lived by the homestead on a hill."
The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in East Anglia, where many places bear names containing the elements "ham" and "dun." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk from 1273, where it appears as "Hamund."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with names that may have been early variations of Hammond, such as "Hamo" and "Hamund."
Some notable individuals with the surname Hammond throughout history include:
1. John Hammond (c. 1555-1617), a prominent English physician and writer on philosophy and theology.
2. Samuel Hammond (1757-1842), an American Revolutionary War soldier and politician from Virginia.
3. William Alexander Hammond (1828-1900), an American neurologist and Civil War surgeon who was a pioneering figure in the fields of neurology and psychiatry.
4. John Hays Hammond Jr. (1888-1965), an American mining engineer, diplomat, and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of the mining industry in South Africa and the United States.
5. John Henry Hammond Jr. (1910-1987), an influential American record producer and talent scout who is credited with discovering and promoting many important musicians, including Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, and Bob Dylan.
Over time, the name Hammond has also been associated with various place names, such as Hammond in Indiana, which was named after George Hammond, an early settler in the area. Additionally, variations in spelling, including Hammon, Hamond, and Hamon, have been recorded throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hammond
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammond, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hammond 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 Hammond surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 49,999
- Black or African American15.7% · 10,440
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,800
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,150
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 481
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 448
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hammond
Hammond 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
#481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,515
+2,452 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 23.57
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,318
-3,197 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 22.19
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #442 | 67,063 | 24.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #481 | 69,515 | 23.57 | +2,452 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #494 | 66,318 | 22.19 | -3,197 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 13 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 Hammond 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 | #481 | #494 | -2.7% |
| Count | 69,515 | 66,318 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 23.57 | 22.19 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hammond bearers went from 69,515 to 66,318 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #481 to #494.
FAQ
Hammond surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hammond?
Name Census estimates that about 76,049 living Americans carry the surname Hammond. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,507 residents.
How common is Hammond?
Hammond ranks #494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 66,318 people with the surname Hammond. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (76,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Hammond.
Has Hammond become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hammond went from 69,515 recorded bearers to 66,318. That is a decrease of 3,197 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #481 to #494.
What does the Census say about the background of Hammond?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammond, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Hammond in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (49,999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hammond appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Black (15.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Hammond (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 Hammond mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a bend or curve in a river or road. 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 Hammond (22.19 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 have the surname Hammond?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.