2000
#1,561
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.84
Uncommon Last name
Hankins
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "son of Hankin" or "son of Hancock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,124 Americans carry the last name Hankins. That puts it at #1,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,492 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hankins 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 Hankins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,492
Census rank
#1,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,293 bearers of the surname Hankins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankins, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hankins
The surname Hankins is of English origin, derived from the medieval given name "Hankin" or "Hanekyn," which were diminutive forms of the name John. The name first appeared in the 13th century and was initially concentrated in the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire in northwest England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cheshire Pipe Rolls of 1260, where a "Hanekinus de Baguley" is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use in the region during the Middle Ages.
By the 14th century, the surname had begun to spread to other parts of England, with various spellings such as Hankyns, Hankyn, and Hankin appearing in historical records. In the 1379 Poll Tax Returns for Yorkshire, a certain "Johannes Hankyn" is listed.
The name Hankins is also associated with several place names in England, such as Hankin in Lancashire and Hankin Farm in Cheshire. These locations likely derived their names from early bearers of the surname who resided there.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Hankins include:
1. Thomas Hankins (c. 1567 - 1616), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works.
2. John Hankins (1615 - 1687), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Taunton during the reign of Charles II.
3. William Hankins (1725 - 1808), a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.
4. Henry Hankins (1786 - 1857), an English painter known for his landscapes and portraiture.
5. Charles Hankins (1840 - 1916), a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements in steam engine design.
While the surname Hankins is not among the most common in England, it has a long and rich history, with bearers of the name playing various roles in religious, political, military, and artistic spheres over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hankins
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankins, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hankins 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 Hankins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 14,190
- Black or African American17.0% · 3,282
- Two or more races4.6% · 890
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 679
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hankins
Hankins 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
#1,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,532
+394 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 7.30
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#1,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,293
-2,239 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 6.45
Rank movement Down 148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,561 | 21,138 | 7.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,675 | 21,532 | 7.30 | +394 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #1,823 | 19,293 | 6.45 | -2,239 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 148 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 Hankins 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 | #1,675 | #1,823 | -8.8% |
| Count | 21,532 | 19,293 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.30 | 6.45 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hankins bearers went from 21,532 to 19,293 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 148 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,675 to #1,823.
FAQ
Hankins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hankins?
Name Census estimates that about 22,124 living Americans carry the surname Hankins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,492 residents.
How common is Hankins?
Hankins ranks #1,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,293 people with the surname Hankins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hankins.
Has Hankins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hankins went from 21,532 recorded bearers to 19,293. That is a decrease of 2,239 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,675 to #1,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Hankins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hankins, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hankins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (14,190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hankins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.5%), Black (17.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hankins (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 Hankins mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "son of Hankin" or "son of Hancock." 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 Hankins (6.45 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 Hankins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.