2000
#625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,330
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.29
Uncommon Last name
Hancock
Derived from a placename meaning "hill associated with a man called Hann" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 55,024 Americans carry the last name Hancock. That puts it at #694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,229 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hancock 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 Hancock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
55K
1 in 6,229
Census rank
#694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
48K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,984 bearers of the surname Hancock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hancock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hancock
The surname Hancock is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "han" meaning rock or stone, and "cocc" meaning hill or ridge. It is believed to have originated in the 11th century as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a prominent rocky hill or ridge.
The earliest known record of the name Hancock appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Hancoc" in Wiltshire. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the medieval period, the name was found primarily in the counties of Wiltshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire, where place names like Hannock, Hannock's Hill, and Hannock's Farm were recorded. Variations in spelling, such as Hancoke, Hancok, and Hancocke, were also common.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Hancock was John Hancock (1737-1793), the American revolutionary and first signer of the Declaration of Independence. His prominent signature on the document has made him an iconic figure in American history.
Another famous bearer of the name was Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886), a prominent Union general during the American Civil War. He was a candidate for the presidency in 1880 but lost to James A. Garfield.
In England, notable figures include Walter Hancock (1799-1852), a notable portrait painter and engraver, and Thomas Hancock (1786-1865), a renowned inventor and manufacturer of rubber products, including the first rubber-soled shoes.
John Hancock (1809-1892), an English clergyman and author, wrote several influential works on religious education and served as the chaplain to the Queen.
Charles Hancock (1867-1961) was an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club and made appearances for the England national team in the late 19th century.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Hancock, which has its roots in the Old English language and has been present in various parts of England for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hancock
Among Census respondents with the surname Hancock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hancock 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 Hancock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 40,506
- Black or African American7.4% · 3,569
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,805
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,522
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 316
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 266
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hancock
Hancock 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
#681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,558
+1,228 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 17.14
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,984
-2,574 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 16.05
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #625 | 49,330 | 18.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #681 | 50,558 | 17.14 | +1,228 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #694 | 47,984 | 16.05 | -2,574 bearers (-5.1%) | 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 Hancock 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 | #681 | #694 | -1.9% |
| Count | 50,558 | 47,984 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 17.14 | 16.05 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hancock bearers went from 50,558 to 47,984 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #681 to #694.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hancock
FAQ
Hancock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hancock?
Name Census estimates that about 55,024 living Americans carry the surname Hancock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,229 residents.
How common is Hancock?
Hancock ranks #694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,984 people with the surname Hancock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (55,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Hancock.
Has Hancock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hancock went from 50,558 recorded bearers to 47,984. That is a decrease of 2,574 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #681 to #694.
What does the Census say about the background of Hancock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hancock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hancock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (40,506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hancock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hancock (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 Hancock mean?
Derived from a placename meaning "hill associated with a man called Hann" 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 Hancock (16.05 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 Hancock?
See how many Americans have the surname Hancock on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.