NameCensus.

UK surname

Hamilton

A locational surname referring to a town in Leicestershire or South Lanarkshire, derived from Old English for "crooked hill."

In the 1881 census there were 22,515 people recorded with the Hamilton surname, ranking it #152 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 41,075, ranked #119, up from #152 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hamilton, Govan Combination and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stonehouse, Darvel and Ayr South Harbour and Town Centre.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hamilton is 41,144 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 82.4%.

1881 census count

22,515

Ranked #152

Modern count

41,075

2016, ranked #119

Peak year

2014

41,144 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hamilton had 22,515 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #152 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 41,075 in 2016, ranked #119.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 27,699 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Hamilton surname distribution map

The map shows where the Hamilton surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Hamilton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hamilton over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 14,026 #168
1861 historical 15,991 #136
1881 historical 22,515 #152
1891 historical 24,227 #145
1901 historical 27,699 #151
1911 historical 12,155 #403
1997 modern 37,126 #130
1998 modern 38,255 #130
1999 modern 38,686 #130
2000 modern 38,833 #130
2001 modern 37,762 #131
2002 modern 38,861 #131
2003 modern 37,969 #131
2004 modern 38,094 #129
2005 modern 37,962 #124
2006 modern 38,024 #124
2007 modern 38,529 #122
2008 modern 39,034 #121
2009 modern 39,986 #121
2010 modern 40,916 #121
2011 modern 40,225 #121
2012 modern 39,621 #121
2013 modern 40,655 #121
2014 modern 41,144 #122
2015 modern 40,998 #121
2016 modern 41,075 #119

Geography

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Where Hamiltons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hamilton, Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stonehouse, Darvel, Ayr South Harbour and Town Centre, Arran and City Centre East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hamilton Lanark
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stonehouse South Lanarkshire
2 Darvel East Ayrshire
3 Ayr South Harbour and Town Centre South Ayrshire
4 Arran North Ayrshire
5 City Centre East Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hamilton

These lists show first names that appear often with the Hamilton surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hamilton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hamilton, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Hamilton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Hamilton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hamilton is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hamilton is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hamilton falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hamilton is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Hamilton, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hamilton

The surname Hamilton has its origins in the medieval Anglo-Scottish Borderlands. It is derived from the Old English words 'hamel' meaning a homestead or crooked habitation, and 'tun' meaning an enclosure or farmstead. The name likely refers to a specific place, perhaps a hamlet or farm where the earliest bearers of the name resided.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting fealty pledged to King Edward I of England. The rolls mention a Walter de Hambeldonne, thought to be an early spelling variation of Hamilton. Another early spelling variation found in records is 'Hameldon'.

The Hamilton surname is also closely associated with the town of Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town's name is believed to have originated from the same Old English roots as the surname, and it is likely that the earliest bearers of the Hamilton name hailed from this area.

One of the most notable historical figures with the Hamilton surname is Sir William Hamilton, born in 1788 and died in 1856. He was a renowned Scottish antiquarian and diplomat who served as the British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Born in 1755 or 1757 in the British West Indies, he served as the first United States Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington.

In the literary world, the Hamilton surname was borne by Edith Hamilton, an American educator and writer born in 1867 and died in 1963. She is best known for her works on Greek mythology and ancient civilizations.

The name Hamilton has also been associated with nobility and landed gentry. One example is James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, born in 1869 and died in 1953. He was a British nobleman and landowner who served as the Governor of Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1945.

Another notable figure is Sir Ian Hamilton, a British Army officer born in 1853 and died in 1947. He commanded the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hamilton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hamilton surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 6,775 Hamiltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.56x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 6,775 9.56x
Lancashire 1,666 0.64x
Ayrshire 1,534 9.35x
Middlesex 1,420 0.65x
Renfrewshire 1,207 7.11x
Midlothian 1,162 3.96x
Yorkshire 677 0.31x
Surrey 671 0.63x
Durham 659 1.01x
Stirlingshire 463 5.73x
West Lothian 377 11.42x
Northumberland 368 1.13x
Kent 357 0.48x
Cheshire 303 0.63x
Fife 292 2.25x
Dunbartonshire 279 4.74x
Cumberland 273 1.45x
Wigtownshire 247 8.49x
Buteshire 225 16.94x
Hampshire 222 0.49x
Dumfriesshire 202 4.17x
Essex 169 0.39x
Perthshire 162 1.65x
Argyllshire 148 2.43x
Kirkcudbrightshire 148 4.67x
Staffordshire 148 0.20x
Sussex 148 0.40x
Angus 135 0.66x
Devon 135 0.30x
East Lothian 134 4.62x
Somerset 132 0.37x
Gloucestershire 123 0.29x
Roxburghshire 105 2.65x
Warwickshire 99 0.18x
Lincolnshire 85 0.24x
Berwickshire 82 3.09x
Peeblesshire 80 7.76x
Caithness 71 2.37x
Aberdeenshire 70 0.34x
Berkshire 65 0.40x
Nottinghamshire 59 0.20x
Hertfordshire 56 0.37x
Glamorgan 55 0.14x
Oxfordshire 49 0.36x
Derbyshire 40 0.12x
Channel Islands 36 0.55x
Dorset 36 0.25x
Royal Navy 36 1.38x
Worcestershire 34 0.12x
Norfolk 31 0.09x
Buckinghamshire 28 0.21x
Leicestershire 28 0.12x
Cornwall 27 0.11x
Monmouthshire 26 0.16x
Suffolk 24 0.09x
Selkirkshire 23 1.16x
Clackmannanshire 21 1.16x
Northamptonshire 18 0.09x
Shropshire 18 0.10x
Bedfordshire 16 0.14x
Wiltshire 16 0.08x
Inverness-shire 15 0.23x
Morayshire 15 0.44x
Shetland 15 0.67x
Isle of Man 12 0.29x
Kinross-shire 12 2.17x
Westmorland 12 0.25x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.07x
Denbighshire 9 0.11x
Sutherland 9 0.53x
Herefordshire 8 0.09x
Pembrokeshire 7 0.10x
Banffshire 6 0.13x
Brecknockshire 6 0.14x
Flintshire 6 0.10x
Ross-shire 5 0.08x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.05x
Radnorshire 4 0.23x
Anglesey 3 0.08x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.03x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.07x
Kincardineshire 3 0.11x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.02x
Nairnshire 1 0.15x
Rutland 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 1,299 Hamiltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.24x.

Place Total Index
Barony 1,299 7.24x
Govan 1,193 6.81x
Glasgow 837 6.65x
Hamilton 407 20.59x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 383 3.24x
Cambusnethan 313 19.88x
Old Monkland 272 9.67x
Avondale 261 62.98x
Stonehouse 219 91.09x
Abbey 217 8.37x
St Pancras London 214 1.21x
Bothwell 191 9.94x
Lesmahagow 185 24.68x
Carluke 164 25.48x
Dalserf 163 23.05x
Falkirk 157 8.30x
Liverpool 154 0.98x
West Greenock 154 5.05x
Rutherglen 143 13.75x
Toxteth Park 140 1.59x
South Leith 135 4.09x
Carnwath 133 30.35x
New Monkland 129 6.16x
St Marylebone London 129 1.10x
Camberwell 128 0.91x
Kilmarnock 127 6.51x
Paisley High Church 124 9.17x
Paisley Low Church 122 22.69x
Beith 121 24.72x
Everton 117 1.41x
Kilbride 109 66.65x
Boness 106 23.30x
Cambuslang 104 14.55x
Stevenston 104 24.33x
Carriden 102 68.19x
Dalry 101 13.09x
Lambeth 100 0.52x
Manchester 100 0.86x
Maryhill 100 7.21x
West Calder 100 17.28x
East Greenock 99 6.17x
Islington London 97 0.46x
Kensington London 89 0.73x
Eastwood 87 8.32x
Leeds 85 0.69x
St George Hanover Square 84 2.18x
Inveresk 82 10.32x
Kilmory 80 41.35x
Lanark 79 13.85x
Neilston 76 8.91x
Shoreditch London 76 0.80x
Row 75 9.84x
West Derby 74 0.97x
Dalziel 73 9.57x
Kirkdale 72 1.65x
Shettleston 71 11.19x
Slamannan 71 16.04x
West Ham 69 0.72x
Galston 68 15.16x
Newington 68 0.84x
Shotts 67 7.90x
Battersea 62 0.77x
Dunfermline 62 3.11x
Newton On Ayr 62 12.62x
Gateshead 60 1.23x
Glassford 60 54.93x
Hexham 60 11.89x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 59 2.09x
Paisley Middle Church 59 5.97x
Kilwinning 58 10.95x
New Kilpatrick 58 10.35x
Leswalt 57 28.60x
Loudoun 57 14.45x
Dundonald 56 9.26x
Bathgate 54 7.54x
Campbeltown 54 7.34x
Cathcart 54 5.88x
Irvine 54 11.85x
Kirkintilloch 53 6.62x
Paddington London 52 0.65x
Ardrossan 51 8.98x
Douglas 51 24.96x
Inch 51 17.98x
Blantyre 50 6.78x
Whitburn 50 10.49x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Hamilton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 620
Elizabeth 284
Sarah 212
Jane 209
Margaret 163
Eliza 139
Alice 125
Ann 122
Ellen 119
Annie 117
Catherine 82
Emily 78
Emma 76
Louisa 68
Martha 60
Caroline 54
Florence 53
Isabella 53
Agnes 52
Kate 44
Maria 43
Ada 42
Charlotte 41
Hannah 41
Edith 40
Fanny 39
Harriet 37
Anne 36
Frances 36
Clara 29
Janet 28
Lucy 27
Elizth. 25
Helen 24
Rose 24
Amelia 23
Maud 23
Jessie 22
Susan 22
Julia 21
Eleanor 19
Amy 18
Rebecca 18
Georgina 17
Bridget 16
Ethel 16
Gertrude 16
Harriett 16
Marion 16
Grace 15

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Hamilton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 556
William 482
James 356
George 245
Thomas 229
Robert 217
Charles 148
Henry 141
Joseph 105
Edward 90
Arthur 69
Richard 68
Alfred 59
Frederick 57
Alexander 51
Walter 46
David 44
Francis 42
Samuel 42
Wm. 37
Albert 34
Harry 33
Frank 32
Andrew 30
Thos. 30
Ernest 25
Archibald 22
Herbert 18
Hugh 18
Douglas 15
Patrick 14
Benjamin 13
Daniel 13
Peter 13
Chas. 12
Gavin 12
Geo. 12
Michael 12
Robt. 12
Claude 10
Richd. 10
Anthony 9
Fred 9
Jas. 9
Jno. 9
Matthew 9
Edwin 8
Isaac 8
Tom 8
Percy 7

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Hamilton households.

FAQ

Hamilton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hamilton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 22,515 people were recorded with the Hamilton surname. That placed it at #152 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hamilton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 41,075 in 2016. That gives Hamilton a modern rank of #119.

What does the Hamilton surname mean?

A locational surname referring to a town in Leicestershire or South Lanarkshire, derived from Old English for "crooked hill."

What does the Hamilton map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hamilton bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.