2000
#16,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Bormann
A German surname derived from the Middle Low German word "born" meaning fountain or well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,993 Americans carry the last name Bormann. That puts it at #16,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,979 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bormann 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
2.0K
1 in 171,979
Census rank
#16,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,738 bearers of the surname Bormann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bormann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bormann
The surname BORMANN is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Old High German word 'burra,' meaning 'elevated land' or 'hill.' This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who resided on or near a hill or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BORMANN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Anhalt in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, including Boreman, Bormann, and Borrmann, indicating regional variations in its usage.
During the late medieval period, the BORMANN name was prevalent in several regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Bormann (1534-1611), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Throughout history, the BORMANN surname has been associated with notable individuals across various fields. One such figure was Albert Bormann (1805-1877), a German architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building. Another notable BORMANN was Karl Bormann (1897-1980), a German chemist known for his contributions to the development of synthetic rubber during World War II.
In the realm of literature, the name BORMANN gained recognition through the works of Walter Bormann (1888-1938), a German writer and poet who was part of the Expressionist movement. His writings often explored themes of societal criticism and the human condition.
One of the most infamous bearers of the BORMANN surname was Martin Bormann (1900-1945), a prominent Nazi leader and Hitler's private secretary during World War II. Bormann played a significant role in the administration of the Nazi regime and was closely involved in the implementation of the Final Solution.
Despite its association with historical figures, the BORMANN surname remains widespread in Germany and other parts of Europe, with its origins rooted in the country's rich cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bormann
Among Census respondents with the surname Bormann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bormann 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 Bormann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,597
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 57
- Two or more races2.8% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bormann
Bormann 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
#15,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,914
+288 bearers (+17.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 989 places
2020
#16,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,738
-176 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,314 | 1,626 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,325 | 1,914 | 0.65 | +288 bearers (+17.7%) | Up 989 places |
| 2020 | #16,112 | 1,738 | 0.58 | -176 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 787 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 Bormann 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 | #15,325 | #16,112 | -5.1% |
| Count | 1,914 | 1,738 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.58 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bormann bearers went from 1,914 to 1,738 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 787 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,325 to #16,112.
FAQ
Bormann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bormann?
Name Census estimates that about 1,993 living Americans carry the surname Bormann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,979 residents.
How common is Bormann?
Bormann ranks #16,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,738 people with the surname Bormann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,993), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Bormann.
Has Bormann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bormann went from 1,914 recorded bearers to 1,738. That is a decrease of 176 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,325 to #16,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Bormann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bormann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Bormann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,597 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bormann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Bormann (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 Bormann mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle Low German word "born" meaning fountain 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 Bormann (0.58 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 Bormann?
See how many people have the surname Bormann on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.