Hammack
A surname that likely developed as a regional spelling variant of Hammick, itself a diminutive form related to the personal name Ham.
The #6,657 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 60,777 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is best treated as an English name connected with Ham, a short form of older names such as Hammond. One historical source notes Hammack as a variant spelling of Hammick, and another groups it with forms built as diminutives of Ham. The final -ack spelling is likely a later regional or clerical spelling development rather than a wholly separate root.
History
The name appears in English surname material, especially with a Yorkshire association in later lexicographic notes. Historical commentary suggests that some branches used Hammack as a spelling variant of Hammick, and that at least one change may have arisen through an official misreading or misspelling. In the United States, Hammack is now the more visible form, but it remains relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source says a Hammick-to-Hammack change in a family branch was caused by a misspelling in a royal commission.
From the historical record
“of Pollokshields, Glasgow, placed at my disposal a copious list of surnames with many useful elucidations, the result of his own researches on the subject. From Sir Erasmus Dixon Borrowes, Bart. ; from William Smith Ellis, Esq. ; from James T. Hammack, Esq. ; from Wm. J. O'Donnavan, Esq. ; and from J. Bertrand…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom