2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Achtermann
A German occupational surname referring to a plowman or someone who works with a plow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Achtermann. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Achtermann surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Achtermann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Achtermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Achtermann
The surname Achtermann is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. The name can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Lower Saxony, where it is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname.
Achtermann is derived from the German words "acht," meaning eight, and "mann," meaning man. It is thought that the name was initially given to someone who was the eighth son or the eighth man in a particular household or community. This practice of assigning descriptive surnames based on birth order or position within a group was common during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Achtermann can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the year 1292. This record mentions a certain "Henricus Achtermann" as a witness in a legal transaction.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various municipal records and church registers across Lower Saxony and neighboring regions. For example, the Calenberger Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the Calenberg region, lists an "Albrecht Achtermann" in 1472.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Achtermann, a Protestant theologian and author who lived in the 16th century (1517-1588). He was born in the town of Celle and wrote several influential works on theology and biblical interpretation during the Reformation era.
Another prominent figure with the surname Achtermann was Hans Achtermann (1654-1721), a German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city of Hanover during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In the 19th century, the name Achtermann can be found in various genealogical records and census documents from various parts of Germany. One example is Friedrich Achtermann (1819-1892), a merchant and businessman from the city of Hamburg, who was known for his philanthropic efforts and support of local charities.
Over time, the surname Achtermann has spread beyond its original homeland in Lower Saxony, with bearers of the name found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries and regions where German immigrants settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Achtermann
Among Census respondents with the surname Achtermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Achtermann bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Achtermann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Achtermann
Achtermann appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Achtermann surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Achtermann bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Achtermann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Achtermann?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Achtermann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Achtermann?
Achtermann ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Achtermann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Achtermann.
Has Achtermann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Achtermann went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Achtermann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Achtermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Achtermann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Achtermann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Achtermann (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Achtermann mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a plowman or someone who works with a plow. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Achtermann (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Achtermann?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Achtermann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.