2000
#10,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Auman
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "ouman," meaning a steward or bailiff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,104 Americans carry the last name Auman. That puts it at #11,178 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Auman 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
3.1K
1 in 110,423
Census rank
#11,178
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,707 bearers of the surname Auman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11178th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Auman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Auman
The surname AUMAN has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic word "Auman," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the name was originally associated with those who lived or worked near such areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Augsburg, Germany, in the year 1387. In a document from that time, a man named Hans Auman is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
Throughout the Middle Ages, variations of the name, such as Aumann and Auman, appeared in various records across southern Germany and parts of Switzerland. It is likely that these were different branches of the same family that had settled in different areas.
In the 16th century, the name AUMAN gained some prominence when Johann Auman (1497-1564) became a respected theologian and reformer in the city of Nuremberg. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and worked closely with Martin Luther.
Another notable individual with this surname was Friedrich Auman (1732-1812), a German composer and organist who lived during the Classical period. He is best known for his church music and organ compositions.
In the 19th century, the name AUMAN appeared in the records of the United States, indicating that some members of the family had immigrated to North America. One such individual was Jacob Auman (1825-1903), a farmer and landowner in Pennsylvania.
Another significant figure was Wilhelm Auman (1876-1938), a German-American industrialist who founded the Auman Manufacturing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This company became a leading producer of machinery and equipment for the brewing industry.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Gertrude Auman (1899-1977), a renowned American painter and printmaker who was part of the Precisionist movement. Her works are held in various prestigious collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Auman
Among Census respondents with the surname Auman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Auman 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 Auman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,525
- Two or more races3.0% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Auman
Auman 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
#10,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,901
+81 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 511 places
2020
#11,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,707
-194 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 214 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,453 | 2,820 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,964 | 2,901 | 0.98 | +81 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 511 places |
| 2020 | #11,178 | 2,707 | 0.91 | -194 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 214 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 Auman 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 | #10,964 | #11,178 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,901 | 2,707 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.91 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Auman bearers went from 2,901 to 2,707 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 214 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,964 to #11,178.
FAQ
Auman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Auman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,104 living Americans carry the surname Auman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,423 residents.
How common is Auman?
Auman ranks #11,178 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,707 people with the surname Auman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Auman.
Has Auman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Auman went from 2,901 recorded bearers to 2,707. That is a decrease of 194 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,964 to #11,178.
What does the Census say about the background of Auman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Auman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Auman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,525 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Auman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Auman (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 Auman mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "ouman," meaning a steward or bailiff. 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 Auman (0.91 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 Auman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.