2000
#9,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Billman
An occupational surname for a medieval guard or watchman armed with a bill or halberd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,528 Americans carry the last name Billman. That puts it at #10,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,153 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Billman 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 Billman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,153
Census rank
#10,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,077 bearers of the surname Billman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Billman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Billman
The surname Billman has its origins in Germany and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the German words "bille" meaning "axe" and "mann" meaning "man", denoting an occupation or trade as a woodcutter or lumberjack. The name was predominantly found in the forested regions of southern Germany, particularly in the areas around the Black Forest and the Bavarian Alps.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Billman can be found in the Württemberg Tax Rolls of 1488, where a Hans Billman is listed as a resident of the town of Calw. Another early reference is in the church records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Johannes Billman was recorded as a baptized child in 1512.
In the 16th century, the Billman surname began to spread beyond its traditional heartland as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. Notable individuals from this period include Peter Billman (c. 1520-1585), a master woodcarver from Ulm whose intricate works adorned several churches in the region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Billman name continued to grow in prominence, with several families establishing themselves as respected craftsmen and entrepreneurs. Johann Billman (1642-1718) was a successful timber merchant in Nuremberg, while Christoph Billman (1701-1772) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker in Augsburg.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many Billmans left their rural roots and sought opportunities in the growing cities and manufacturing centers of Germany. One such individual was August Billman (1825-1901), a pioneer in the field of mechanical engineering who designed innovative machinery for the textile industry.
Throughout its history, the Billman surname has also found its way beyond the borders of Germany, carried by individuals who emigrated to other parts of Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Among the notable figures with this name were the American industrialist William Billman (1856-1934), who founded the Billman Foundry and Machine Company in Pennsylvania, and the British author and journalist Robert Billman (1914-1998), known for his chronicles of World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Billman
Among Census respondents with the surname Billman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Billman 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 Billman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,843
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 98
- Two or more races2.4% · 75
- Black or African American0.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Billman
Billman 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
#10,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,218
+42 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 618 places
2020
#10,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,077
-141 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,401 | 3,176 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,019 | 3,218 | 1.09 | +42 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 618 places |
| 2020 | #10,001 | 3,077 | 1.03 | -141 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 18 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 Billman 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 | #10,019 | #10,001 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,218 | 3,077 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.03 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Billman bearers went from 3,218 to 3,077 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,019 to #10,001.
FAQ
Billman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Billman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,528 living Americans carry the surname Billman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,153 residents.
How common is Billman?
Billman ranks #10,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,077 people with the surname Billman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,528), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Billman.
Has Billman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Billman went from 3,218 recorded bearers to 3,077. That is a decrease of 141 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,019 to #10,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Billman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Billman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Billman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,843 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Billman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Billman (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 Billman mean?
An occupational surname for a medieval guard or watchman armed with a bill or halberd. 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 Billman (1.03 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 many people have the last name Billman?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Billman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.