Explore the Family Name Hamilton
The meaning of Hamilton
Scottish and northern Irish: habitational name from what is now a deserted village in the parish of Barkby, Leicestershire. This is named from Old English hamel ‘crooked’ + dūn ‘hill’. Hamilton near Glasgow was founded by the English Hamiltons and named after them, and later bearers took their surname from the Scottish place. In the north of Ireland, where many Hamiltons settled in the 17th century, this surname may sometimes have been adopted for Hamill. It has also been adopted as an Anglicized form of southern Irish Ó hUrmholtaigh. History: This name is borne by one of the most distinguished families of the Scottish nobility; they hold many titles, including marquessate and dukedom of Hamilton, the marquessate of Douglas, the dukedom of Abercorn, and the earldom of Haddington. They are descended from Walter FitzGilbert de Hameldone, a Norman baron who gave his support to Robert the Bruce in the 13th century. A member of this family was Sir William Hamilton (1730–1803), a British diplomat and archaeologist, whose wife, Lady Emma Hamilton (c.1765–1815), became the mistress of Admiral Horatio Nelson. A branch of the family was established in Ireland by Sir Frederick Hamilton (died 1646), who served in the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus. He later became governor of Ulster, and his descendants were created viscounts Boyne. The family have given their name to Newtownhamilton and Hamiltonsbaron in County Armagh. Another branch of the family were to be found in Denmark, where Henrik Albertsen Hamilton (1588–1648) was a noted Latin poet. A 17th-century example of a Hamilton from Glasgow, Scotland, is recorded in the Netherlands, where the name is found in the form Hamelton. Another Scottish Hamilton, James, went to the West Indies in the 18th century and was the father of Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), who arrived in NY in 1772 and became the first US secretary of the Treasury.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hamilton in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Hamilton has seen slight fluctuations in the past decade. In 2000, Hamilton ranked as the 107th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had slid to 119th place, a decline of 11.21%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Hamilton surname increased by 3.82%, from 194,331 in 2000 to 201,746 in 2010. However, when scaled to the total population, the proportion of individuals named Hamilton per 100,000 decreased by 5.07%, from 72.04 in 2000 to 68.39 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #107 | #119 | -11.21% |
| Count | 194,331 | 201,746 | 3.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 72.04 | 68.39 | -5.07% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hamilton
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Hamilton also underwent changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest percentage increases were seen among those identifying as Hispanic and those identifying with two or more races, with growth rates of 52.17% and 32.37%, respectively. The proportions of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black also grew, albeit at more modest rates of 22.73% and 4.68%, respectively. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals identifying as White decreased by 3.54%, and that of American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a slight increase of 2.56%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 72.79% | 70.21% | -3.54% |
| Black | 22.65% | 23.71% | 4.68% |
| Hispanic | 1.61% | 2.45% | 52.17% |
| Two or More Races | 1.73% | 2.29% | 32.37% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.78% | 0.8% | 2.56% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.54% | 22.73% |
Hamilton ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Hamilton is British & Irish, which comprises 54.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.7%) and Eastern European (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.0% |
| French & German | 21.7% |
| Eastern European | 3.7% |
| Other | 20.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Hamilton
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Hamilton have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 86.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 86.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 86.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.30% |
What Hamilton haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Hamilton is I-S1954, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-S1954 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-FGC9550 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Gordon, Witt, Avery, Cobb, Bates, Farris, Hunt, Perry, Rose, Daniel.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hamilton surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Hamilton have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Hamilton" Surname 43.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Hamilton" Surname 27.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hamilton" Surname 20.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Hamilton" Surname 18.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hamilton?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Hamilton are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition