2000
#8,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Bachmann
An occupational surname referring to a ferryman or boatman who transported goods or people across a body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,298 Americans carry the last name Bachmann. That puts it at #8,457 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bachmann 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
4.3K
1 in 79,747
Census rank
#8,457
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,748 bearers of the surname Bachmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8457th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bachmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bachmann
The surname Bachmann is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old High German word "bach," which means "stream" or "brook," and the word "mann," which means "man." Thus, the name Bachmann likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Bachmann can be found in various medieval records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. For example, the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, Germany.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Bachmann was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where many small streams and brooks were found. Over time, the name spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries, such as Austria and Switzerland.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Bachmann was Johann Bachmann (c. 1420-1492), a German composer and organist who lived in the 15th century. He is known for his contributions to the development of early Renaissance music.
Another notable figure was Philipp Bachmann (1604-1670), a German theologian and philosopher from Saxony. He was a professor at the University of Leipzig and wrote extensively on topics related to theology and ethics.
In the 18th century, Johann Christian Bachmann (1732-1808) was a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraiture. He worked in Dresden and was a member of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.
Moving into the 19th century, Karl Friedrich Bachmann (1785-1855) was a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.
More recently, Ingeborg Bachmann (1926-1973) was an Austrian poet and author who is considered one of the most influential figures in German-language literature of the 20th century. Her works explored themes of identity, memory, and the aftermath of World War II.
Throughout its history, the surname Bachmann has been associated with various place names, such as Bachmanning in Bavaria, and Bachmannsfeld in Saxony, which likely derived their names from the presence of streams or brooks in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bachmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Bachmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bachmann 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 Bachmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,438
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 157
- Two or more races2.3% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 33
- Black or African American0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bachmann
Bachmann 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
#7,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,372
+606 bearers (+16.1%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 510 places
2020
#8,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,748
-624 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 856 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,111 | 3,766 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,601 | 4,372 | 1.48 | +606 bearers (+16.1%) | Up 510 places |
| 2020 | #8,457 | 3,748 | 1.25 | -624 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 856 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 Bachmann 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 | #7,601 | #8,457 | -11.3% |
| Count | 4,372 | 3,748 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.25 | -15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bachmann bearers went from 4,372 to 3,748 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 856 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,601 to #8,457.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bachmann
FAQ
Bachmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bachmann?
Name Census estimates that about 4,298 living Americans carry the surname Bachmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,747 residents.
How common is Bachmann?
Bachmann ranks #8,457 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,748 people with the surname Bachmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,298), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Bachmann.
Has Bachmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bachmann went from 4,372 recorded bearers to 3,748. That is a decrease of 624 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,601 to #8,457.
What does the Census say about the background of Bachmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bachmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Bachmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,438 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bachmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (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 Bachmann (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 Bachmann mean?
An occupational surname referring to a ferryman or boatman who transported goods or people across a body of water. 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 Bachmann (1.25 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 share the surname Bachmann?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.