2000
#11,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Borman
Derived from Middle Low German, referring to someone who lived by a spring or well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,568 Americans carry the last name Borman. That puts it at #13,099 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borman 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 Borman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,471
Census rank
#13,099
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,239 bearers of the surname Borman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13099th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borman
The surname BORMAN is of German origin, emerging in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "bureman" or "boreman," which referred to a farmer or someone who lived on a farm or village. The name likely originated in the regions of modern-day Germany and Austria, particularly in rural areas where agriculture was a primary occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BORMAN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the medieval period. In this record, a certain "Heinricus Boreman" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Saxony in 1241.
During the 13th century, the name BORMAN appeared in various forms, such as "Bormann," "Borrman," and "Bohrman," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name BORMAN was Johannes Borman, a German scholar and theologian who lived between 1345 and 1420. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of canon law and served as a professor at the University of Prague.
Another prominent individual with the surname BORMAN was Hans Borman, a German artist and printmaker who lived from 1470 to 1530. He was known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, many of which depicted religious scenes and mythological subjects.
In the 16th century, the BORMAN surname was also found in the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Bormann." One notable figure from this period was Gerrit Borman, a Dutch merchant and explorer who played a role in the establishment of the Dutch West India Company in the early 1600s.
As the centuries passed, the BORMAN surname continued to spread across various regions of Europe, with branches emerging in countries like Sweden, Poland, and Russia. However, its roots remained firmly grounded in the German-speaking areas, where the name retained its connection to rural life and agricultural traditions.
Throughout history, the BORMAN surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including farmers, scholars, artists, and merchants. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its underlying meaning as a reference to rural origins has persisted, making it a testament to the enduring legacy of agricultural communities in Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borman
Among Census respondents with the surname Borman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Borman 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 Borman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,056
- Two or more races3.8% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 57
- Black or African American1.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borman
Borman 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
#11,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,655
+118 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 409 places
2020
#13,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,239
-416 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,302 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,388 | 2,537 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,797 | 2,655 | 0.90 | +118 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 409 places |
| 2020 | #13,099 | 2,239 | 0.75 | -416 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 1,302 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 Borman 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 | #11,797 | #13,099 | -11.0% |
| Count | 2,655 | 2,239 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.75 | -16.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borman bearers went from 2,655 to 2,239 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 1,302 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,797 to #13,099.
FAQ
Borman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,568 living Americans carry the surname Borman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,471 residents.
How common is Borman?
Borman ranks #13,099 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,239 people with the surname Borman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,568), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Borman.
Has Borman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borman went from 2,655 recorded bearers to 2,239. That is a decrease of 416 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,797 to #13,099.
What does the Census say about the background of Borman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Borman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,056 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Borman (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 Borman mean?
Derived from Middle Low German, referring to someone who lived by a spring or well. 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 Borman (0.75 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 are called Borman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Borman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.