2000
#451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,378
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.61
Uncommon Last name
Hampton
From a place name meaning "homestead" or "village" in Old English, derived from the elements "ham" (home) and "tun" (enclosure).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 76,410 Americans carry the last name Hampton. That puts it at #491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,486 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hampton 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 Hampton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
76K
1 in 4,486
Census rank
#491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
67K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 66,633 bearers of the surname Hampton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hampton, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hampton
The surname Hampton has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "ham" meaning a village or homestead, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. The name essentially refers to a settlement or village in a low-lying area or by a river bend.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hantone" and "Hantun." These entries refer to various places in Hampshire, Middlesex, and other counties, suggesting that the name was already well-established in different parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often associated with places named Hampton, such as Hampton Court in London, which was originally a manor house belonging to the Knights Hospitallers in the 13th century. Other notable places bearing the name include Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, and Hampton, Gloucestershire.
Notable individuals with the surname Hampton throughout history include Sir John Hampton (c. 1430-1492), a British soldier and courtier who served as a standard-bearer for King Henry VII during the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Another prominent figure was Sir Richard Hampton (c. 1545-1601), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, John Hampton (1600-1654) was a prominent Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Battersea in London. During the same period, Robert Hampton (1620-1672) was a prominent English theologian and Anglican clergyman who served as the rector of Uppingham in Rutland.
Moving forward, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Wade Hampton III (1818-1902), a prominent American politician and military officer who served as a lieutenant general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he became a prominent figure in South Carolina politics, serving as the governor of the state from 1876 to 1879.
These examples illustrate the deep historical roots and widespread presence of the surname Hampton across various regions of England and beyond, spanning multiple centuries and encompassing individuals from various walks of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hampton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hampton, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hampton 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 Hampton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.3% · 34,171
- Black or African American39.5% · 26,290
- Two or more races5.1% · 3,372
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 2,000
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 454
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 346
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hampton
Hampton 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
#482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,472
+3,094 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 23.55
Rank movement Down 31 places
2020
#491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,633
-2,839 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 22.29
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #451 | 66,378 | 24.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #482 | 69,472 | 23.55 | +3,094 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 31 places |
| 2020 | #491 | 66,633 | 22.29 | -2,839 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 9 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 Hampton 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 | #482 | #491 | -1.9% |
| Count | 69,472 | 66,633 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 23.55 | 22.29 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hampton bearers went from 69,472 to 66,633 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #482 to #491.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hampton
FAQ
Hampton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hampton?
Name Census estimates that about 76,410 living Americans carry the surname Hampton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,486 residents.
How common is Hampton?
Hampton ranks #491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.29 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 66,633 people with the surname Hampton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (76,410), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.29 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 Hampton.
Has Hampton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hampton went from 69,472 recorded bearers to 66,633. That is a decrease of 2,839 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #482 to #491.
What does the Census say about the background of Hampton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hampton, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Hampton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.3% (34,171 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hampton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.3%), Black (39.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Hampton (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 Hampton mean?
From a place name meaning "homestead" or "village" in Old English, derived from the elements "ham" (home) and "tun" (enclosure). 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 Hampton (22.29 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 Hampton?
Want to know how common the surname Hampton is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.