Wittman
A German masculine name derived from "wit" meaning "wise" or "knowledgeable".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Wittman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wittman today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wittman births was 2019 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wittman. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wittman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2019
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#14,021
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Wittman: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wittman by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wittman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wittman
The name Wittman is a German surname that has been used as a given name, particularly in areas where German culture has had a significant influence. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Central Europe.
The name Wittman is derived from the German word "witt," which means "wide" or "broad." It likely originated as a nickname for someone with a broad or stocky build. Alternatively, it may have been used to describe someone who lived near a wide or expansive area, such as a plain or a meadow.
Historically, the name Wittman has been associated with various German regions and territories, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was often used as a surname among German-speaking communities throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
While there are no known direct references to the name Wittman in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was used among common folk in medieval times, as nicknames and descriptive surnames were common during that era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Wittman was Johannes Wittman, a German theologian and scholar who lived in the 16th century (circa 1525-1590). He was known for his works on Christian doctrine and his contributions to the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Wittman (1770-1842), a German mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of calculus and logic. He is renowned for his work on the foundations of mathematics and his influential writings on epistemology.
In the 19th century, Karl Wittman (1819-1884) was a prominent German painter and etcher known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Germany. His works are celebrated for their realism and attention to detail.
Wittman was also the given name of a German military officer, Theodor Wittman (1894-1945), who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was a highly decorated fighter ace and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his bravery and skill in aerial combat.
Finally, Wittman Eger (1919-2006) was a German-American artist and sculptor known for his abstract and modernist works. He emigrated to the United States after World War II and became a influential figure in the American art scene, particularly in the realm of public art installations.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the given name Wittman, reflecting its German heritage and widespread use in various cultural and professional contexts.
People
Wittman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wittman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wittman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wittman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wittman going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Wittman a common name?
We classify Wittman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wittman most popular?
The single biggest year for Wittman was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wittman is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wittman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wittman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wittman in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wittman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wittman in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wittman can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Wittman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.