2000
#2,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.54
Uncommon Last name
Hammonds
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hamo, a shortened form of the Germanic name Haimund, meaning "home protection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,094 Americans carry the last name Hammonds. That puts it at #2,860 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hammonds 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 Hammonds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,319
Census rank
#2,860
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,291 bearers of the surname Hammonds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2860th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hammonds
The surname Hammonds originated in England and traces its roots back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Old English words "ham" and "dun," which collectively mean "homestead on a hill." The name was initially used to describe individuals who lived in such settlements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hammonds can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholders in England after the Norman Conquest. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
The name Hammonds has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Hamond, Hamonde, and Hammon. These variations often reflect regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named William Hammonds was recorded as a landowner in the county of Norfolk. This provides evidence of the surname's presence in that region during the Middle Ages.
During the 15th century, John Hammonds, a merchant from London, gained prominence for his successful trading ventures. He was born in 1420 and died in 1492.
In the 16th century, Sir Edmund Hammonds, born in 1534 and died in 1606, was a respected military commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the English campaigns against the Spanish Armada.
The 17th century saw the rise of Thomas Hammonds, a renowned philosopher and theologian. Born in 1620 and died in 1692, he made notable contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 18th century, Samuel Hammonds, born in 1735 and died in 1807, was a prominent architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House.
The Hammonds surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Hammonds End in Hertfordshire and Hammonds Knoll in Dorset. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname who once resided in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hammonds
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hammonds 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 Hammonds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 6,703
- Black or African American28.9% · 3,554
- American Indian and Alaska Native7.2% · 879
- Two or more races5.9% · 720
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 383
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hammonds
Hammonds 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
#2,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,710
+472 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 4.31
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#2,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,291
-419 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 4.11
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,700 | 12,238 | 4.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,839 | 12,710 | 4.31 | +472 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #2,860 | 12,291 | 4.11 | -419 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 21 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 Hammonds 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 | #2,839 | #2,860 | -0.7% |
| Count | 12,710 | 12,291 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.31 | 4.11 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hammonds bearers went from 12,710 to 12,291 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,839 to #2,860.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hammonds
FAQ
Hammonds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hammonds?
Name Census estimates that about 14,094 living Americans carry the surname Hammonds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,319 residents.
How common is Hammonds?
Hammonds ranks #2,860 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.11 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 12,291 people with the surname Hammonds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,094), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.11 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 Hammonds.
Has Hammonds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hammonds went from 12,710 recorded bearers to 12,291. That is a decrease of 419 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,839 to #2,860.
What does the Census say about the background of Hammonds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hammonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%). 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 Hammonds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (6,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hammonds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Black (28.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%). 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 Hammonds (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 Hammonds mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hamo, a shortened form of the Germanic name Haimund, meaning "home protection." 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 Hammonds (4.11 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 last name Hammonds?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Hammonds at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.