Hamill
A surname that likely began as a patronymic, meaning “son of Hamel,” and is also found in Irish families where O’Hamill was shortened.
The #5,954 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,407 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English surname use, Hamill is generally treated as a reduced form of an older baptismal name like Hamel or Hamo, with the sense “son of Hamel.” The name is ultimately tied to the same Germanic base as Hamo, a medieval personal name. In Irish records, however, it also appears as an Anglicized form of Gaelic O h-Aimhill / O h-Amhail-type forms, and later many families dropped the O prefix.
History
Bardsley records Hamill alongside Hamel and explains it as a baptismal surname, while Woulfe and Matheson show it in Irish usage as O’Hamill and note that the prefix O was often omitted. This means the surname can have both English and Irish lines, depending on the family. The spelling was never fixed, so Hamel, Hamil, Hamill, and Hammill have all occurred in records. In modern usage it is found especially in Ireland and in Irish diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Irish surname indexes from the early 1900s note that some families were listed simply as Hamill after dropping the O from O’Hamill.
From the historical record
“HamaU, H«mel, Hunll, Hamill. — Bapt. •the son of Hamel ' ; cf. the local Hamilton, 'the town of Hamil' (v. Town). From the same root as Hamo ; v.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances