2000
#11,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Aultman
An occupational surname for someone who operated or worked at an alehouse or tavern.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,898 Americans carry the last name Aultman. That puts it at #11,843 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aultman 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
2.9K
1 in 118,273
Census rank
#11,843
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,527 bearers of the surname Aultman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11843rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aultman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aultman
The surname Aultman is believed to have originated in Germany, derived from the Old German words "alt" meaning "old" and "mann" meaning "man." This suggests that the name was initially used to refer to an elderly or venerable man.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in various German regions, with variations in spelling such as Altman, Auldtman, and Aultmann. It is likely that the name was initially adopted as a descriptive surname during this period.
In the 13th century, the name appears in several historical records, including the Annals of Cologne, where a certain Aultman von Rheindorf is mentioned as a prominent merchant and landowner. This indicates that the name had already gained some prominence and association with wealth and status by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as German immigrants began to settle in various parts of Europe and the Americas, the Aultman surname spread to new regions. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Aultman (1587-1647), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious matters.
As the Aultman family continued to disperse, the name took on various localized spellings and pronunciations. In England, for instance, it was sometimes rendered as Altmon or Altmond, reflecting the influence of local dialects.
One of the most famous individuals with the Aultman surname was Jacob Aultman (1804-1876), an American industrialist and inventor who founded the Aultman Company, a prominent manufacturer of agricultural equipment in Ohio. His innovations in threshing machines and steam engines played a significant role in the mechanization of farming in the 19th century.
Another noteworthy figure was Catherine Aultman (1840-1915), an American educator and pioneer in the field of home economics. She founded the School of Domestic Science and Arts in Columbus, Ohio, which later became part of the Ohio State University.
In the realm of literature, the name Aultman is associated with the American author and poet Evelyn Aultman (1892-1962), whose works often explored themes of nature and rural life.
The Aultman surname has also been carried by several military figures throughout history, including Major General Dwight Aultman (1892-1964), a highly decorated United States Army officer who served in both World Wars.
While the Aultman name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with notable bearers contributing to fields ranging from industry and education to literature and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aultman
Among Census respondents with the surname Aultman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Aultman 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 Aultman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 2,119
- Black or African American8.4% · 213
- Two or more races3.7% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aultman
Aultman 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
#11,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,695
+59 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 571 places
2020
#11,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,527
-168 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,060 | 2,636 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,631 | 2,695 | 0.91 | +59 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 571 places |
| 2020 | #11,843 | 2,527 | 0.85 | -168 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 212 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 Aultman 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 | #11,631 | #11,843 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,695 | 2,527 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.85 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aultman bearers went from 2,695 to 2,527 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 212 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,631 to #11,843.
FAQ
Aultman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aultman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,898 living Americans carry the surname Aultman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,273 residents.
How common is Aultman?
Aultman ranks #11,843 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,527 people with the surname Aultman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,898), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Aultman.
Has Aultman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aultman went from 2,695 recorded bearers to 2,527. That is a decrease of 168 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,631 to #11,843.
What does the Census say about the background of Aultman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aultman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Aultman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (2,119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aultman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (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 Aultman (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 Aultman mean?
An occupational surname for someone who operated or worked at an alehouse or tavern. 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 Aultman (0.85 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 Aultman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.