2000
#5,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,682
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Dickman
An occupational surname referring to a man who performed ditching or diking work.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,877 Americans carry the last name Dickman. That puts it at #6,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dickman 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 Dickman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,321
Census rank
#6,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,125 bearers of the surname Dickman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dickman
The surname Dickman has its origins in the northwestern region of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the cities of Bremen and Hamburg. It emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "dik," meaning thick or stout, combined with the word "man," referring to a person. Thus, Dickman likely referred to a stout or robust individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dickman can be found in the records of the city of Bremen, where a certain Hans Dickman is mentioned as a merchant and guild member in the year 1427. Another early reference is found in a manuscript from the town of Lübeck, dated 1481, which mentions a Gerhart Dickman, a master craftsman.
In the 16th century, the name Dickman appears to have spread to other parts of northern Germany and the Netherlands. In a document from the city of Amsterdam, dated 1574, a Pieter Dickman is listed as a respected citizen and trader.
One notable figure bearing the surname Dickman was Johann Dickman (1572-1632), a scholar and theologian from the city of Rostock. He authored several influential works on religious philosophy and served as a professor at the University of Rostock.
Another prominent individual was Christoph Dickman (1618-1692), a military commander from the region of Westphalia. He played a significant role in the latter stages of the Thirty Years' War, serving under the Swedish army.
In the 18th century, the surname Dickman can be found in records from the city of Hamburg, where a family of merchants and shipowners bearing this name gained considerable wealth and influence. One such individual was Hans Dickman (1712-1783), a prosperous merchant and ship owner who contributed to the city's maritime trade.
Other notable figures include Friedrich Dickman (1779-1841), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits, and Johann Dickman (1816-1892), a renowned architect who designed several prominent buildings in the city of Berlin.
As the Dickman surname spread beyond its original region, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Diekman, Dykman, and Dieckmann, reflecting regional dialects and pronunciation differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dickman
Among Census respondents with the surname Dickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dickman 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 Dickman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 4,772
- Two or more races3.1% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dickman
Dickman 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
#5,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,809
+127 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 329 places
2020
#6,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,125
-684 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,601 | 5,682 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,930 | 5,809 | 1.97 | +127 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 329 places |
| 2020 | #6,381 | 5,125 | 1.71 | -684 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 451 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 Dickman 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 | #5,930 | #6,381 | -7.6% |
| Count | 5,809 | 5,125 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.71 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dickman bearers went from 5,809 to 5,125 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 451 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,930 to #6,381.
FAQ
Dickman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dickman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,877 living Americans carry the surname Dickman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,321 residents.
How common is Dickman?
Dickman ranks #6,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,125 people with the surname Dickman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,877), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dickman.
Has Dickman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dickman went from 5,809 recorded bearers to 5,125. That is a decrease of 684 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,930 to #6,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Dickman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Dickman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (4,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dickman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Dickman (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 Dickman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a man who performed ditching or diking work. 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 Dickman (1.71 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 Dickman?
See how many people have the last name Dickman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.