2000
#251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 40.44
Common Last name
Hanson
The son of Hans, a Scandinavian patronymic surname derived from the personal name Hans, a variant of Johannes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122,343 Americans carry the last name Hanson. That puts it at #288 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 35.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,802 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hanson 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 Hanson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
122K
1 in 2,802
Census rank
#288
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
35.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106,689 bearers of the surname Hanson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 35.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 288th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hanson
The surname Hanson originated in Scandinavia, specifically Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the father's given name, Hans, which was a common Scandinavian variant of the name John. The suffix "-son" was added to denote "son of."
In medieval times, Scandinavian names often followed the pattern of a given name plus the patronymic suffix "-son" or "-datter" (daughter). This naming convention was widespread in the Viking Age and continued for centuries thereafter. The surname Hanson would have initially identified a person as the son of a man named Hans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hanson can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), which dates back to the late 12th century. This text mentions a Norwegian settler named Hansson who arrived in Iceland during the 9th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period, variations of the name Hanson appeared in various Scandinavian records and manuscripts. These included Hanssen, Hansson, and Hansøn, reflecting regional spelling differences.
Notable individuals with the surname Hanson include Hans Hansson (1529-1610), a Swedish merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Stockholm. In Norway, there was Peder Hansson (1542-1619), a Lutheran priest and writer known for his translations of religious texts into Norwegian.
Another significant figure was Mårten Hansson (1645-1717), a Swedish military officer who played a crucial role in the Great Northern War against Denmark and Russia. He was awarded the title of Count by King Charles XII for his service.
In the 19th century, Hans Hansson (1823-1901) was a Swedish botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of flora in Scandinavia and introduced several new plant species.
As Scandinavian immigrants began settling in other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Canada, the surname Hanson became more widespread. It is now a common surname in many English-speaking countries with Scandinavian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hanson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hanson 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 Hanson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 95,351
- Two or more races3.1% · 3,345
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3,242
- Black or African American3.0% · 3,205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 889
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 657
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hanson
Hanson 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
#276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111,144
+2,065 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 37.68
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106,689
-4,455 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 35.69
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #251 | 109,079 | 40.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #276 | 111,144 | 37.68 | +2,065 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #288 | 106,689 | 35.69 | -4,455 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 12 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 Hanson 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 | #276 | #288 | -4.3% |
| Count | 111,144 | 106,689 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 37.68 | 35.69 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hanson bearers went from 111,144 to 106,689 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #276 to #288.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hanson
FAQ
Hanson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hanson?
Name Census estimates that about 122,343 living Americans carry the surname Hanson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,802 residents.
How common is Hanson?
Hanson ranks #288 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 35.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 36 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106,689 people with the surname Hanson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122,343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 35.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 35.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 36 of them to have the surname Hanson.
Has Hanson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hanson went from 111,144 recorded bearers to 106,689. That is a decrease of 4,455 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #276 to #288.
What does the Census say about the background of Hanson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hanson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (95,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hanson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hanson (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 Hanson mean?
The son of Hans, a Scandinavian patronymic surname derived from the personal name Hans, a variant of Johannes. 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 Hanson (35.69 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 Hanson?
You can see how many people have the last name Hanson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.