NameCensus.

UK surname

Hammel

From a German surname referring to someone who lived near a pasture or grazing land.

In the 1881 census there were 88 people recorded with the Hammel surname, ranking it #21,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 112, ranked #28,844, down from #21,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Basildon and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hammel is 112 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.3%.

1881 census count

88

Ranked #21,211

Modern count

112

2016, ranked #28,844

Peak year

2016

112 bearers

Map years

2

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hammel had 88 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016, ranked #28,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 88 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Hammel surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hammel surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hammel 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 79 #19,712
1861 historical 71 #24,765
1881 historical 88 #21,211
1891 historical 78 #27,035
1901 historical 80 #25,251
1911 historical 76 #25,221
1997 modern 100 #26,901
1998 modern 101 #27,479
1999 modern 92 #28,833
2000 modern 103 #27,280
2001 modern 96 #27,976
2002 modern 101 #27,766
2003 modern 95 #28,536
2004 modern 95 #28,746
2005 modern 94 #28,973
2006 modern 97 #28,793
2007 modern 90 #30,228
2008 modern 92 #30,286
2009 modern 101 #29,445
2010 modern 107 #29,153
2011 modern 93 #31,169
2012 modern 99 #30,442
2013 modern 102 #30,415
2014 modern 109 #29,452
2015 modern 104 #30,269
2016 modern 112 #28,844

Geography

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Where Hammels are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Basildon, Copeland and Allerdale. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 024 County Durham
2 Basildon 012 Basildon
3 Copeland 004 Copeland
4 Copeland 003 Copeland
5 Allerdale 008 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hammel

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hammel

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hammel, 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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hammel is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hammel 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

Hammel falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hammel is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hammel

The surname Hammel is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "hamal," meaning "a wether" or a castrated ram. It likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with or kept sheep, or potentially as a reference to a person's physical characteristics.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as Hammel, Hamel, and Hameln in various German regions during the Middle Ages. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Hammel, a landowner mentioned in a 14th-century document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria.

The Hammel surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Hameln, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, known for the legend of the Pied Piper. The town's name is derived from the same root as the surname, further reinforcing its connection to sheep-related occupations or characteristics.

During the 16th century, the name was found in various German records, including those of Johannes Hammel, a merchant from Nuremberg, who lived from 1520 to 1587. Another notable bearer was Johann Matthäus Hammel, a German composer and organist born in 1737 in Weiden, Bavaria.

In the 19th century, the Hammel surname gained more prominence with individuals like Wilhelm Hammel, a German painter born in 1812 in Trier, and Karl Hammel, a German-American soldier and recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, born in 1824 in Bavaria.

As German immigrants settled in other countries, the Hammel surname spread to various regions. One example is John Michael Hammel, an early American settler born in 1730 in Germany, who later lived in Pennsylvania and played a role in the Revolutionary War.

While the surname Hammel is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich historical lineage rooted in German culture and occupations related to sheep and livestock. Its enduring presence across centuries and various bearers reflects its significance as a surname with a distinctive origin and meaning.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hammel families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hammel 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. Ayrshire leads with 16 Hammels recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.79x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 16 25.79x
Lanarkshire 14 5.22x
Middlesex 13 1.57x
Glamorgan 10 6.93x
Renfrewshire 7 10.89x
Northumberland 5 4.05x
Lancashire 4 0.41x
Yorkshire 4 0.49x
Channel Islands 2 8.14x
Devon 2 1.16x
Aberdeenshire 1 1.30x
Angus 1 1.30x
Banffshire 1 5.81x
Buteshire 1 19.92x
Cumberland 1 1.40x
Durham 1 0.41x
Midlothian 1 0.90x
Surrey 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Athan in Glamorgan leads with 10 Hammels recorded in 1881 and an index of 9090.91x.

Place Total Index
St Athan 10 9090.91x
Kilwinning 8 400.00x
Bethnal Green London 5 13.88x
Cathcart 5 143.68x
Dalserf 5 186.57x
St George In East London 4 51.28x
St Quivox 4 190.48x
Tynemouth 4 60.51x
Glasgow 3 6.30x
Govan 3 4.52x
Wigan 3 21.82x
Ayr 2 68.26x
Kenton 2 370.37x
Kimberworth 2 43.86x
Bainbridge 1 526.32x
Barony 1 1.47x
Battersea 1 3.28x
Bishopwearmouth 1 4.72x
Clerkenwell London 1 5.11x
Dalry 1 34.25x
Erskine 1 212.77x
Insch 1 227.27x
Kensington London 1 2.17x
Kilmory 1 136.99x
Liff Benvie 1 8.58x
Liverpool 1 1.67x
Muirkirk 1 68.49x
Muker 1 416.67x
New Monkland 1 12.61x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 13.57x
North Leith 1 19.46x
Paisley High Church 1 19.53x
Rothiemay 1 256.41x
St Giles In Fields London 1 24.57x
St Michaelinthe Vale 1 113.64x
St Saviour 1 73.53x
Tradeston 1 2500.00x
Westminster St James 1 11.74x
Whitehaven 1 26.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Catherine 2
Louise 2
Alice 1
Amme 1
Ann 1
Caroline 1
Christine 1
Eliza 1
Elizebeth 1
Eloisa 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Rosalie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
John 4
Francis 2
Samuel 2
Christopher 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Fredice 1
Fredk. 1
Henrich 1
Henry 1
Johann 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Patrick 1
Wille 1

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 Hammel households.

FAQ

Hammel surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hammel surname in 1881?

In 1881, 88 people were recorded with the Hammel surname. That placed it at #21,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hammel surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016. That gives Hammel a modern rank of #28,844.

What does the Hammel surname mean?

From a German surname referring to someone who lived near a pasture or grazing land.

What does the Hammel map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hammel 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.