2000
#7,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Adelman
A Jewish surname derived from the Germanic given name Adal, meaning "noble" or "noble man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,384 Americans carry the last name Adelman. That puts it at #8,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,183 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adelman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Adelman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,183
Census rank
#8,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,823 bearers of the surname Adelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adelman
The surname Adelman has its origins in the Germanic regions of central Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Austria. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 15th centuries.
The name Adelman is believed to be derived from the Germanic words "adal," meaning noble or aristocratic, and "man," meaning person or man. Thus, the surname Adelman likely referred to someone of noble or aristocratic descent or standing.
In terms of historical references, the name Adelman has been found in various medieval records and documents, such as town registers, tax rolls, and court records. However, there is no specific mention of the name in major works like the Domesday Book, which primarily covered England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adelman dates back to the late 13th century, when a certain Heinrich Adelman was documented as residing in the town of Nuremberg, Germany. Another early example is Johann Adelman, born around 1450 in the region of Saxony, Germany.
The surname Adelman has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. For instance, Tobias Adelman (1678-1745) was a German composer and organist during the Baroque era. Johann Gottlieb Adelman (1727-1788) was a German teacher and author who wrote several educational works.
In the 19th century, Bernhard Adelman (1813-1892) was a prominent German jurist and legal scholar, known for his contributions to the field of civil law. Additionally, Maximilian Adelman (1857-1922) was an Austrian architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Vienna.
Another individual of note was Oskar Adelman (1884-1958), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable organizations and educational institutions in the United States.
While the surname Adelman has its roots in Germanic regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the noble or aristocratic class of central European society during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Adelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Adelman 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 Adelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 3,547
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 127
- Two or more races2.3% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 43
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adelman
Adelman appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,131
+71 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 450 places
2020
#8,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,823
-308 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,556 | 4,060 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,006 | 4,131 | 1.40 | +71 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 450 places |
| 2020 | #8,294 | 3,823 | 1.28 | -308 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 288 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 Adelman 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 | #8,006 | #8,294 | -3.6% |
| Count | 4,131 | 3,823 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.28 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adelman bearers went from 4,131 to 3,823 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,006 to #8,294.
FAQ
Adelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adelman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,384 living Americans carry the surname Adelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,183 residents.
How common is Adelman?
Adelman ranks #8,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,823 people with the surname Adelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Adelman.
Has Adelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adelman went from 4,131 recorded bearers to 3,823. That is a decrease of 308 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,006 to #8,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Adelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Adelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (3,547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Adelman (2000, 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 Adelman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Germanic given name Adal, meaning "noble" or "noble man." 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 Adelman (1.28 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 many people have the surname Adelman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.