2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Arfmann
A Germanic occupational surname derived from the term "Erbe" meaning "heir" or "inheritor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Arfmann. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arfmann 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Arfmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arfmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arfmann
The surname ARFMANN is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "arf," which means inheritance or heir. This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who had inherited property or wealth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ARFMANN can be found in the Heidelberg Archives, which contain records from the 14th century. The name is mentioned in a document dated 1367, referring to a landowner named Heinrick Arfmann who resided in the region of Palatinate.
During the 16th century, the ARFMANN name gained prominence in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. Records from this period indicate that the name was often associated with families involved in agriculture and landholding. One notable figure was Hans Arfmann, a farmer who lived in the village of Mühlhausen between 1542 and 1612.
In the 17th century, the name ARFMANN started to appear in various town and city records across Germany. This spread of the name can be attributed to the increasing mobility of people during this period. One historical figure from this era was Johann Arfmann, a merchant from Leipzig who was born in 1635 and died in 1702.
As the ARFMANN name continued to spread throughout Germany in the 18th and 19th centuries, it also found its way into other parts of Europe. In 1785, a man named Friedrich Arfmann was recorded as a resident of the city of Vienna, Austria. Additionally, in 1823, a woman named Anna Arfmann was born in the town of Krakow, which was then part of the Austrian Empire (now in Poland).
Another notable figure was Karl Arfmann, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1856 to 1935. He was born in the city of Erfurt and is known for his contributions to the field of aesthetics and his works on the philosophy of art.
While the name ARFMANN is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the medieval period. The name's origins are rooted in the concept of inheritance and property ownership, reflecting the significance of these aspects in the lives of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arfmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Arfmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Arfmann 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 Arfmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arfmann
Arfmann 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 2,454 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 Arfmann 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 | #156,044 | #153,590 | 1.6% |
| Count | 104 | 104 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arfmann bearers went from 104 to 104 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 2,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #153,590.
FAQ
Arfmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arfmann?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Arfmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Arfmann?
Arfmann ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Arfmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Arfmann.
Has Arfmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arfmann went from 104 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Arfmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arfmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Arfmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arfmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Arfmann (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 Arfmann mean?
A Germanic occupational surname derived from the term "Erbe" meaning "heir" or "inheritor." 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 Arfmann (0.03 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 Arfmann?
See how many people have the surname Arfmann on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.