The Hamilton surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 201,746 people carried this name — #119 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,460 people counted. That is up 4% from 194,331 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Hamilton surname
A Scottish surname from Old English.
From Old English *Hameldūne, from hamel (“blunt, flat-topped”) + dūne (“hill”). The Scottish surname is from the place in Leicestershire. The dollar-bill sense is from the portrait of Alexander Hamilton featured on it.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Hamilton» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 167 births for the Hamilton 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 7,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Down, Tyrone, and Londonderry.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 174 people named Hamilton live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
130 people named Hamilton live in Switzerland.
They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 70 people named Hamilton.
Most of them — 50 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 11 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
68 people named Hamilton have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 168 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 10 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 32 people named Hamilton live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
778 people named Hamilton are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Hamilton in American newspapers,
1932–1957.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,745,851 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Hamilton,
with a public archive behind them.
-
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran 1537–1609 · politician -
Claud Hamilton, 4th Earl of Abercorn 1659–1691 · military personnel -
Andrew Hamilton 1676–1703 · merchant -
Andrew Hamilton 1676–1741 · lawyer -
Charles Hamilton, Lord Binning 1697–1732 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 188 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Hamilton.
- Hamer 6,783 · U.S. census
- Hames 3,633 · U.S. census
- Hamet 117 · U.S. census
- Hami 173 · U.S. census
- Hamid 3,433 · U.S. census
- Hamidi 809 · U.S. census
- Hamm 26,726 · U.S. census
- Hamma 244 · U.S. census
- Hammad 1,126 · U.S. census
- Hamman 4,555 · U.S. census
- Hammann 839 · U.S. census
- Hamme 614 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Hamilton 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.