Hamilton

Spellings & scripts●

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Hamilton is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Portuguese given name511K records spelled Hamilton7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Portugal

  Languages: Portuguese, Spanish

  Also written Hamiltón, Hámilton

• a separate name69K records spelled Hamilton4 spellings in the group

  Also written Hámilton, Hamiltón

• Russian surname11K records spelled Hamilton30 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Ukraine, Canada, United Kingdom

  Languages: Russian, Polish, Ukrainian

  Also written Гамильтон, Хамильтон, Гамільтон, Хэмилтон, Hamiltoñ

• a separate name4.1K records spelled Hamilton2 spellings in the group

  Also written Χαμιλτον

74 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Hamilton is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, Family of Norman forebears prominent in Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire from the 13th century; from a property name in England transferred to Cadzow, Lanarkshire.

  as a name·Scottish Surnames

• In English, From the town of Hamilton, Lanarkshire (est. 1445); later linked to the comital/ducal family, Earls of Arran and Dukes of Hamilton.

  as a name·Scottish Surnames

• In English, from Hamilton, Leicestershire; first attested Richard de Hamelton’ 1195 P

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, Scottish form of James; Scottish: the supplanter

  as a name·Baby names, 25,350 baby names nicknames for your family, friends pets, including the top 100 names, 2,000 most popular…

• In English, A Scottish surname from Old English.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Alexander Hamiltonb. 1757USAmerican Founding Father and statesman (1755/1757–1804)
• William Rowan Hamiltonb. 1805IEIrish mathematician and astronomer (1805-1865)
• Barbara Cartlandb. 1901GBnot in their usual nameEnglish writer and media personality (1901-2000)
• Hamilton Luskeb. 1903USAmerican film director (1903-1968)
• Hamilton Othanel Smithb. 1931USAmerican microbiologist (1931–2025)
• Steny Hoyerb. 1939USnot in their usual nameAmerican politician (born 1939)
• Paul Williamsb. 1940USnot in their usual nameAmerican composer, singer, songwriter and actor
• Frances Arnoldb. 1956USnot in their usual nameNobel prize winning US scientist and engineer (born 1956)
• Linda Hamiltonb. 1956USAmerican actress
• Lewis Hamiltonb. 1985GBBritish racing driver

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 607 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Hamilton?

We estimate roughly 205 thousand people bear Hamilton (counting its spellings and scripts) across 20 countries in our records.

In which country does Hamilton have the most bearers?

Hamilton is most frequently recorded in Canada, where it is most often spelled hamilton.

What does the name Hamilton mean?

Recorded meaning: Person from Hamilton, Leicestershire, meaning ‘crooked hill’.