2000
#2,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,099
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.49
Uncommon Last name
Hamrick
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hammer-shaped ridge" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,227 Americans carry the last name Hamrick. That puts it at #3,039 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,913 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hamrick 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.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,913
Census rank
#3,039
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,535 bearers of the surname Hamrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3039th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hamrick
The surname HAMRICK has its origins in the German language, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ham," meaning "home" or "homestead," combined with the suffix "-rick," indicating a person's occupation or origin.
During the Middle Ages, many surnames emerged as a way to distinguish individuals within communities. HAMRICK likely referred to someone who lived near or worked at a particular homestead or hamlet. Some historical records suggest that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term before evolving into a hereditary surname.
One of the earliest documented references to the HAMRICK surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of medieval documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the year 1296. This record mentions a person named "Henricus Hammerich," which is believed to be an early variation of the HAMRICK name.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Hammerich," "Hammerick," and "Hammerigk," in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. This variation in spelling was common during that era due to the lack of standardized orthography.
One notable figure bearing the HAMRICK surname was Johann Hammerich, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1529 in Saxony. He published several works on religious and philosophical topics and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another individual of note was Georg Hammerich, a German composer and organist born in 1663 in Halle, Saxony. He composed numerous sacred works and served as the court organist for the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.
In the 18th century, the HAMRICK surname began to appear in various regions of Europe, including the Netherlands and England, likely due to migration and the spread of the German population. One example is Johannes Hammerich, a Dutch painter born in 1748 in Amsterdam, known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
As the name spread, variations in spelling became more common, with forms such as "Hamrick," "Hamrich," and "Hammerick" appearing in different regions and records. This diversity in spelling continues to this day, reflecting the name's long and varied history.
One notable bearer of the HAMRICK surname in more recent times was William Hamrick, an American painter and illustrator born in 1873 in Ohio. He is known for his landscape and maritime paintings and illustrations for various publications.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hamrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hamrick 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 Hamrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 10,380
- Two or more races3.6% · 410
- Black or African American3.3% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 285
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hamrick
Hamrick 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
#2,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,168
+69 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Down 213 places
2020
#3,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,535
-633 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,737 | 12,099 | 4.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,950 | 12,168 | 4.13 | +69 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 213 places |
| 2020 | #3,039 | 11,535 | 3.86 | -633 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 89 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 Hamrick 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 | #2,950 | #3,039 | -3.0% |
| Count | 12,168 | 11,535 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.13 | 3.86 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hamrick bearers went from 12,168 to 11,535 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,950 to #3,039.
FAQ
Hamrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hamrick?
Name Census estimates that about 13,227 living Americans carry the surname Hamrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,913 residents.
How common is Hamrick?
Hamrick ranks #3,039 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.86 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 11,535 people with the surname Hamrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.86 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 Hamrick.
Has Hamrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hamrick went from 12,168 recorded bearers to 11,535. That is a decrease of 633 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,950 to #3,039.
What does the Census say about the background of Hamrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hamrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Hamrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (10,380 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hamrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (3.3%). 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 Hamrick (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 Hamrick mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hammer-shaped ridge" in Old English. 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 Hamrick (3.86 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 Hamrick?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Hamrick on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.