2000
#32,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Ahmann
Derived from a shortened form of the German personal name "Achim" or "Joachim," meaning "established by Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 914 Americans carry the last name Ahmann. That puts it at #31,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 375,005 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ahmann 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
914
1 in 375,005
Census rank
#31,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
797
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 797 bearers of the surname Ahmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ahmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ahmann
The surname Ahmann has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the Old German word "aleman," which referred to a person of Germanic descent or someone from the region of Alemannia, an area that encompassed parts of present-day Germany, France, and Switzerland.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records and manuscripts from the regions of Swabia and Alsace. One notable mention is in the Ulm City Records of 1379, which includes an entry for a certain Hans Ahmann, a merchant and landowner.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it took on various spellings and regional variations, such as Amann, Ahman, and Amann. Some of these variations likely arose due to the influence of local dialects or the preferences of individual families.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Ahmann family settled in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria. Here, the name appears in numerous records, including the town's famous Rathaus (town hall) archives.
Notable individuals with the surname Ahmann include Johann Ahmann (1535-1605), a renowned clockmaker and gunsmith from Nuremberg, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by European nobility. Another prominent figure was Katharina Ahmann (1590-1658), a renowned herbalist and midwife who practiced in the city of Augsburg.
In the 18th century, the Ahmann name gained prominence in the world of academia with the birth of Friedrich Ahmann (1714-1792), a respected philosopher and professor at the University of Heidelberg. His son, Johann Ahmann (1744-1817), followed in his footsteps and became a respected linguist and author of several influential works on Germanic languages.
As the Ahmann family spread across Germany and beyond, the name continued to be associated with various trades and professions. In the 19th century, Wilhelm Ahmann (1823-1898) was a celebrated architect who designed several iconic buildings in the city of Berlin, including the Reichstag building.
Throughout its history, the surname Ahmann has maintained a strong connection to its German heritage and has been carried by individuals from diverse walks of life, from merchants and artisans to scholars and professionals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ahmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Ahmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ahmann 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 Ahmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 735
- Two or more races3.1% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ahmann
Ahmann 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
#35,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 636
-39 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 3,193 places
2020
#31,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 797
+161 bearers (+25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 4,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,202 | 675 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,395 | 636 | 0.22 | -39 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 3,193 places |
| 2020 | #31,175 | 797 | 0.27 | +161 bearers (+25.3%) | Up 4,220 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 Ahmann 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 | #35,395 | #31,175 | 11.9% |
| Count | 636 | 797 | 25.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.27 | 21.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ahmann bearers went from 636 to 797 (+25.3% change). The surname moved up 4,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,395 to #31,175.
FAQ
Ahmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ahmann?
Name Census estimates that about 914 living Americans carry the surname Ahmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 375,005 residents.
How common is Ahmann?
Ahmann ranks #31,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 797 people with the surname Ahmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (914), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Ahmann.
Has Ahmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ahmann went from 636 recorded bearers to 797. That is an increase of 161 (+25.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #35,395 to #31,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Ahmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ahmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ahmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (735 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ahmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ahmann (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 Ahmann mean?
Derived from a shortened form of the German personal name "Achim" or "Joachim," meaning "established by Yahweh." 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 Ahmann (0.27 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 are called Ahmann?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Ahmann is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.