2000
#11,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Ammon
Derived from the ancient Egyptian god Amun or from the biblical name Ammon, meaning "the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,851 Americans carry the last name Ammon. That puts it at #12,000 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,222 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ammon 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 Ammon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 120,222
Census rank
#12,000
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,486 bearers of the surname Ammon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12000th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ammon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ammon
The surname AMMON has its origins in Germany, where it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German word "amanon," which means "to command" or "to summon." This suggests that the name may have been given to a person who held a position of authority or was responsible for summoning people to court or other gatherings.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Ammon" or "Amon" in various medieval records and documents. It is possible that the name was originally a nickname or occupational name before becoming a hereditary surname. Some early spellings included "Amann" and "Ammann," which were variations commonly found in different regions of Germany.
One of the earliest known references to the name AMMON can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around the 12th century. This record mentions an individual named "Ammon de Wittenberg," suggesting that the name was present in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Annalen der Stadt Köln, a chronicle of the city of Cologne. An entry from 1362 mentions a certain "Johann Ammon," indicating the presence of the name in the Rhineland area of Germany.
One notable figure with the surname AMMON was Johann Andreas Ammon (1777-1842), a German philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the relationship between religion and ethics. Another individual of historical significance was Christian Friedrich Ammon (1766-1850), a German jurist and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the development of German civil law.
In the 16th century, the name AMMON can be found in the records of the Protestant Reformation, with several individuals bearing this surname being mentioned in connection with the reformist movement. One such person was Jakob Ammon (1528-1591), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a role in the spread of Lutheranism in Saxony.
While the surname AMMON has its roots in Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and Austria, where it may have been introduced through migration or trade. In the 19th century, individuals with the name AMMON can be found in records from various regions of the United States, likely due to immigration from German-speaking areas of Europe.
Overall, the surname AMMON has a rich history that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany, where it originated as a name associated with authority or summoning. Over the centuries, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including philosophers, jurists, theologians, and reformers, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and intellectual landscape of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ammon
Among Census respondents with the surname Ammon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ammon 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 Ammon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 2,161
- Two or more races4.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 61
- Black or African American2.1% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ammon
Ammon 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
#11,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,701
+106 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 414 places
2020
#12,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,486
-215 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,200 | 2,595 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,614 | 2,701 | 0.92 | +106 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 414 places |
| 2020 | #12,000 | 2,486 | 0.83 | -215 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 386 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 Ammon 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 | #11,614 | #12,000 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,701 | 2,486 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.83 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ammon bearers went from 2,701 to 2,486 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 386 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,614 to #12,000.
FAQ
Ammon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ammon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,851 living Americans carry the surname Ammon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,222 residents.
How common is Ammon?
Ammon ranks #12,000 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,486 people with the surname Ammon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Ammon.
Has Ammon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ammon went from 2,701 recorded bearers to 2,486. That is a decrease of 215 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,614 to #12,000.
What does the Census say about the background of Ammon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ammon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Ammon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (2,161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ammon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Ammon (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 Ammon mean?
Derived from the ancient Egyptian god Amun or from the biblical name Ammon, meaning "the people." 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 Ammon (0.83 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 Ammon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.