2000
#2,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.24
Uncommon Last name
Baumann
A German occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a builder or constructor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,430 Americans carry the last name Baumann. That puts it at #2,461 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baumann 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 Baumann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,861
Census rank
#2,461
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,328 bearers of the surname Baumann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2461st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baumann
The surname Baumann is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "buman," which means "farmer" or "peasant." The name emerged in the medieval period, likely during the 12th or 13th century, and was initially used as an occupational name to identify individuals who worked as farmers or lived in rural areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the Baumann surname can be found in various German historical documents, such as tax records, land deeds, and local parish registers. One notable early record is the mention of a Hartwig Baumann in the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in 1348, during the time of the Black Death pandemic.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, including Bawmann, Bauhmann, and Bauhman. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciations. Some of the earliest known place names associated with the Baumann surname include Baumannshof, a village in Bavaria, and Baumannsdorf, a town in Saxony.
Throughout history, several individuals have carried the Baumann surname and achieved notable accomplishments. Johann Baumann (1637-1697) was a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. Johann Wilhelm Baumann (1737-1804) was a German theologian and author known for his work on biblical exegesis.
Another prominent figure was Otto Baumann (1864-1899), a German explorer and colonial officer who played a crucial role in the exploration and colonization of German East Africa (present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda). His expeditions and reports provided valuable insights into the region's geography, culture, and natural resources.
In the artistic realm, Rudolf Baumann (1896-1953) was a renowned German sculptor and medallist known for his intricate and detailed works, many of which can be found in museums and public spaces across Germany. Albert Baumann (1920-1998), on the other hand, was a celebrated German painter and printmaker, renowned for his abstract expressionist style and vibrant use of color.
While these are just a few examples, the Baumann surname has been present throughout various periods of German history, spanning different professions and backgrounds, reflecting the diverse roles and contributions of those who have carried this name over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baumann
Among Census respondents with the surname Baumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Baumann 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 Baumann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 13,122
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 499
- Two or more races3.2% · 462
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 104
- Black or African American0.7% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baumann
Baumann 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
#2,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,644
+513 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.96
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#2,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,328
-316 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.79
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,349 | 14,131 | 5.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,461 | 14,644 | 4.96 | +513 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #2,461 | 14,328 | 4.79 | -316 bearers (-2.2%) | No rank change |
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 Baumann 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 | #2,461 | #2,461 | 0.0% |
| Count | 14,644 | 14,328 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.96 | 4.79 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baumann bearers went from 14,644 to 14,328 (-2.2% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #2,461.
FAQ
Baumann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baumann?
Name Census estimates that about 16,430 living Americans carry the surname Baumann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,861 residents.
How common is Baumann?
Baumann ranks #2,461 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,328 people with the surname Baumann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Baumann.
Has Baumann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baumann went from 14,644 recorded bearers to 14,328. That is a decrease of 316 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it stayed at #2,461.
What does the Census say about the background of Baumann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Baumann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (13,122 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baumann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Baumann (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 Baumann mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a builder or constructor. 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 Baumann (4.79 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 Americans have the surname Baumann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.