2000
#31,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 703
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Adelmann
A German surname referring to a noble or aristocratic man, derived from the Old High German words "adal" and "man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 826 Americans carry the last name Adelmann. That puts it at #33,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 414,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adelmann 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
826
1 in 414,957
Census rank
#33,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
720
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 720 bearers of the surname Adelmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adelmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adelmann
The surname Adelmann has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known examples dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old German words "adal," meaning noble or aristocratic, and "man," meaning man. This suggests that the name was originally associated with individuals of noble or elevated social standing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a medieval document from the region of Saxony, where a certain Adelmann von Meissen was mentioned as a knight and landowner in the year 1187. The use of the prefix "von" followed by a place name was a common practice among the German nobility at the time, indicating their connection to a particular territory or estate.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Adelmann was Johann Christoph Adelmann, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1646 to 1720. He is remembered for his contributions to the field of Roman law and his work as a professor at the University of Helmstedt.
In the 16th century, the name Adelmann appeared in various records from the city of Augsburg, where a family of that name was involved in the influential guild of weavers. One member, Hans Adelmann (1505-1568), is recorded as having served as a respected master weaver and a prominent figure in the city's textile industry.
The surname Adelmann also has a connection to the world of literature through the German novelist and playwright Friedrich Adelmann (1768-1843), who was born in the town of Nuremberg. His works, which often explored themes of social critique and moral philosophy, were widely read and appreciated during the Romantic period.
In the 19th century, the name Adelmann gained further recognition through the accomplishments of Carl Adelmann (1811-1888), a German architect and urban planner. He is particularly known for his contributions to the development of the city of Berlin, where he designed several notable buildings and public spaces.
While the Adelmann surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its earliest and most significant historical connections remain firmly grounded in the regions of central and southern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adelmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Adelmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Adelmann 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 Adelmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 647
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 41
- Two or more races3.2% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adelmann
Adelmann 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
#32,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 719
+16 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 877 places
2020
#33,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 720
+1 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,202 | 703 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,079 | 719 | 0.24 | +16 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 877 places |
| 2020 | #33,969 | 720 | 0.24 | +1 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 1,890 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 Adelmann 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 | #32,079 | #33,969 | -5.9% |
| Count | 719 | 720 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adelmann bearers went from 719 to 720 (+0.1% change). The surname moved down 1,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,079 to #33,969.
FAQ
Adelmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adelmann?
Name Census estimates that about 826 living Americans carry the surname Adelmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 414,957 residents.
How common is Adelmann?
Adelmann ranks #33,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 720 people with the surname Adelmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (826), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Adelmann.
Has Adelmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adelmann went from 719 recorded bearers to 720. That is an increase of 1 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,079 to #33,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Adelmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adelmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Adelmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (647 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adelmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Adelmann (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 Adelmann mean?
A German surname referring to a noble or aristocratic man, derived from the Old High German words "adal" and "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 Adelmann (0.24 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 share the surname Adelmann?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.