I recall that there are limitations on Villager tokens. I don't think that a prospective Mayor can give them to himself. I think they have to go to another account. An Ambassador might be able to answer the question.
I also recall that any character with three adjacent parcels and the minimum required number of residents on them can start a Hamlet. It doesn't even need to be registered with the Count. It just needs to have a well built on one of the parcels. I'm not sure if being adjacent to water such as a stream or lake obviates the need for a well.
Hamlets and Villages do not have titled Mayors. That title and all the responsibilities it entails only applies to Towns, Cities, and Capitals. Villages have Councils of Elders, while Hamlets are generally small enough to be entirely controlled by a single character.
Design Journal #18 from May 2017 deals with this topic. Here's the excerpt specifically dealing with establishing a Hamlet:
First, you, or you and some friends, buy three parcels of land next to each other, put a building with a few beds on each one of them (enough to hold 10 people minimum), and put a well in the middle. That creates a Hamlet. Everyone within the three parcels of land get water automatically when on the land. That means while your thirst still goes up, you won't die of dehydration. At the same time, having a house and a bed means your fatigue won’t drop while you’re on one of the three plots of land.
Now, Hamlets are not registered. So aside from the benefits already described they provide no additional benefits. You can call your hamlet whatever you want but it won’t show up on any maps unless you mark it yourself. If you want any benefits beyond this, you have to expand.