2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Davidman
A surname derived from "David" combined with "man", implying a descendant or follower of someone named David.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Davidman. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davidman 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Davidman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davidman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davidman
The surname Davidman is of Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name David, which means "beloved" in Hebrew. The name likely originated in the Yiddish-speaking communities of Poland, Ukraine, and Russia, where it was common for families to adopt surnames based on the father's given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Davidman surname can be found in the 16th century Jewish community records of Krakow, Poland. These records document a family with the name Davidman residing in the city during this period. Similarly, the name appears in various tax and census records from the 17th and 18th centuries in cities like Warsaw, Vilnius, and Minsk.
The Davidman surname may also have been influenced by the German variation of the name, Davidmann, which shares a similar origin and meaning. This variation was common among Jewish communities in Germany and parts of Central Europe during the same time period.
During the 19th century, as Jews gained greater freedom of movement and began migrating to other parts of Europe and the Americas, the Davidman surname spread to new regions. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Abraham Davidman (1828-1901), a prominent Jewish scholar and author from Vilnius, Lithuania.
2. Esther Davidman (1860-1938), a philanthropist and activist from Warsaw, Poland, who advocated for women's rights and education.
3. Isaac Davidman (1892-1972), a Yiddish writer and journalist from Odessa, Ukraine, who later immigrated to the United States.
4. Sarah Davidman (1919-2005), an American poet and academic, born in New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants.
5. Leon Davidman (1932-2018), a South African businessman and philanthropist, who supported various educational and cultural initiatives in Cape Town.
While the Davidman surname has its origins in Eastern Europe, it has since spread across the globe, carried by Jewish families who immigrated to various parts of the world. Today, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Jewish people throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davidman
Among Census respondents with the surname Davidman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Davidman 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 Davidman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 102
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davidman
Davidman appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+9 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 10,266 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 Davidman 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 | #159,712 | #149,446 | 6.4% |
| Count | 101 | 110 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davidman bearers went from 101 to 110 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 10,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #149,446.
FAQ
Davidman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davidman?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Davidman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Davidman?
Davidman ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Davidman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Davidman.
Has Davidman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davidman went from 101 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 9 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Davidman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davidman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Davidman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davidman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Black (1.8%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Davidman (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 Davidman mean?
A surname derived from "David" combined with "man", implying a descendant or follower of someone named David. 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 Davidman (0.04 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 surname Davidman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.