2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dortman
A German occupational surname derived from a word meaning "inn-keeper".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Dortman. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dortman 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Dortman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dortman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dortman
The surname Dortman is of German origin, believed to have first appeared in the region of Dortmund, a city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Saxon word "dorp," meaning village or hamlet, combined with the suffix "-man," indicating a person hailing from a particular place.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Lübecker Bürgerbuch, a citizen registry of Lübeck, a city in northern Germany, dating back to the 14th century. Here, the name is spelled "Dorptman," reflecting the regional variation in its spelling.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as church registers and tax rolls, in the areas surrounding Dortmund. One notable bearer was Hans Dortman, a merchant and burgher of Dortmund, who lived from 1520 to 1587.
The name Dortman has also been associated with the city of Dortmund itself, which was founded as a medieval settlement around the 9th century. The city's name is believed to have originated from the Old Saxon word "Dortmunt," meaning "mouth of the river Dort."
In the 17th century, a branch of the Dortman family migrated to the Netherlands, where the name was recorded as "Dortmans." One prominent member was Pieter Dortmans (1670-1735), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and cityscapes.
During the 19th century, the Dortman name spread further across Europe and beyond due to emigration. Johann Dortman (1805-1872), a German-born farmer, was among the early settlers in South Australia, arriving in the colony in 1838.
Other notable bearers of the surname include:
- Friedrich Dortman (1835-1912), a German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of thermodynamics.
- Wilhelm Dortman (1890-1976), a German artist and sculptor known for his expressionist works.
- Grete Dortman (1915-2001), a German swimmer who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
- Paul Dortman (1923-2011), an American journalist and author, renowned for his coverage of the civil rights movement.
Throughout its history, the surname Dortman has maintained a strong connection to its German roots, while also spreading across various countries and cultures through migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dortman
Among Census respondents with the surname Dortman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dortman 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 Dortman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino10.9% · 13
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dortman
Dortman 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-24 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,638 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 26,638 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,631 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 Dortman 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 | #140,157 | #142,788 | -1.9% |
| Count | 119 | 119 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dortman bearers went from 119 to 119 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,788.
FAQ
Dortman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dortman?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Dortman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Dortman?
Dortman ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Dortman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Dortman.
Has Dortman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dortman went from 119 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Dortman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dortman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Dortman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dortman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Hispanic (10.9%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Dortman (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 Dortman mean?
A German occupational surname derived from a word meaning "inn-keeper". 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 Dortman (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 last name Dortman?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Dortman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.