The Hamill surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,781 people carried this name — #5,954 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 51,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 5,559 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Hamill surname

Of multiple origins, but chiefly a reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó hÁdhmaill (“descendant of Ádhmall”), a nickname from ádhmall (“active”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Hamill» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Isabella Hamell, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Hamell, Hamel, Hamil and Hamill.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 352 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 77 births for the Hamill name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 3,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 9 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Armagh, and Louth.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 56
Leinster 17
Connacht 2
Munster 2

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Hamill was recorded 33 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 744th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 62. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Hamill in American newspapers,
1903–1920.

Newspaper page from The Whitefish Pilot carrying the name Hamill
The Whitefish Pilot 1909-07-02
Newspaper page from The Starkville News carrying the name Hamill
The Starkville News 1920-08-06
Newspaper page from The Columbus Commercial carrying the name Hamill
The Columbus Commercial 1903-09-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 39,647 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Hamill in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

3,727 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hamill. The most, 775, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,221
Queensland 1,094
New South Wales 896
Western Australia 221
South Australia 132
Tasmania 75
ACT (Canberra) 51
Northern Territory 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hamill.

Who carried it

People named Hamill,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Fred J. Hamill
    Fred J. Hamill d. 1935 · lyricist
  • Samuel McClintock Hamill
    Samuel McClintock Hamill 1812–1889 · teacher
  • Patrick Hamill
    Patrick Hamill 1817–1895 · judge
  • John Hamill
    John Hamill 1860–1911 · baseball player
  • Anna Hamill Monroe
    Anna Hamill Monroe 1869–1944 · philanthropist
  • Martin J. Hamill d. 1921

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Hamill,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,262 records

1,262 records of the Hamill name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 337
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 268
  • Other U.S. records 657
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Peter J. Hamill

    Born 1901 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; store manager from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Esther Hamill

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; seamstress. From Liverpool, England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Wright Bartwyn Hamill

    Born 1946; from Albany, Oregon. U.S. Army, heavy construction equipment operator; killed in action 1965 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,262 records for Hamill in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia242 records

242 records of the Hamill name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 88
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 67
  • Other Australian records 87
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Patrick Hamill

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Countess of Harcourt, arriving 1827; ticket of leave 1833. Native of Louth.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Patk Hamill

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the Elizabeth Ann Bright, aged 20; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Alexander Hamill

    Enlisted in 1916 with the 39th Battalion. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)

Showing 3 of 242 records for Hamill in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

United Kingdom43 records

43 records of the Hamill name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 37
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 5
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Hamill

    Buried in 1885 at Strathblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 44.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert James Hamill

    Will proved in 1932; of Llanelly.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Hamill

    Tank Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 43 records for Hamill in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada39 records

39 records of the Hamill name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 11
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 7
  • Other Canadian records 21
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Hamill

    Died 1956 in Fox Point, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert Holland Hamill

    Died 1901; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Herbert Russell Hamill

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 39 records for Hamill in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand11 records

11 records of the Hamill name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 10
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Jane Hamill

    Died 1881, aged 24; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Hamill

    Buried in 1915 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leslie Desmond Hamill

    Died 1987, aged 64; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Hamill in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Hamill name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Patricia Mary Hamill

    Born 1942 in Ireland; died 1991 in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Hamill name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Mary Hamill

    In a population register; born 1894 in Mog-Noord Ierland.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Enschede (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Hamill.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Hamill is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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