2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dunkelman
A German name meaning a dweller or native of a shady or dark place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Dunkelman. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunkelman 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Dunkelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunkelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Two or More Races (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunkelman
The surname Dunkelman is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "dunkel," meaning "dark" or "dusky," and the suffix "man," which was commonly used to denote a person. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a darker complexion or hair color.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dunkelman name can be found in the records of the town of Bamberg, located in the northern Bavaria region of Germany. A document dated 1542 mentions a certain Hans Dunkelman, a local tradesman who lived in the area.
As the name spread across various regions of Germany, it underwent minor variations in spelling, such as Dunkelmann, Dunckelmann, and Dunckelman. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time period.
In the 17th century, the Dunkelman name appears to have found its way into the Netherlands, possibly as a result of German migration or trade connections. One notable figure from this period is Willem Dunkelman, a Dutch merchant who was born in Amsterdam in 1632 and is known for his extensive trading ventures with the East Indies.
Moving into the 18th century, the Dunkelman surname gained a foothold in parts of Eastern Europe, including Poland and Russia. Records from this time show a family of Dunkelmans residing in the city of Warsaw, with a prominent member being Jakub Dunkelman, a respected lawyer who lived from 1712 to 1788.
As the 19th century dawned, the Dunkelman name continued to spread across Europe, with various individuals making their mark in different fields. One notable figure was Friedrich Dunkelman, a German philosopher and writer born in 1822 in the city of Leipzig. His works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition, and he is often cited as an influence on later philosophical movements.
Another notable Dunkelman from the 19th century was Sophia Dunkelman, a Russian-born artist who gained recognition for her intricate landscape paintings. Born in 1848 in St. Petersburg, she spent much of her life traveling and capturing the beauty of various European landscapes on canvas. Her works were exhibited in several prestigious galleries across Europe during her lifetime, which spanned from 1848 to 1923.
As the 20th century approached, the Dunkelman name continued to be represented in various fields, from academia to the arts. One prominent figure was Hans Dunkelman, a German-born physicist who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. Born in 1892 in Berlin, he spent much of his career teaching and conducting research at prestigious universities in Europe and the United States, until his death in 1978.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunkelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunkelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Two or More Races (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunkelman 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 Dunkelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 12
- Two or more races9.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunkelman
Dunkelman 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-19 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,081 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 26,081 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 4,195 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 Dunkelman 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 | #149,395 | #153,590 | -2.8% |
| Count | 110 | 104 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunkelman bearers went from 110 to 104 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 4,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #153,590.
FAQ
Dunkelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunkelman?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Dunkelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Dunkelman?
Dunkelman ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Dunkelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Dunkelman.
Has Dunkelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunkelman went from 110 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunkelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunkelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Two or More Races (9.6%). 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 Dunkelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (79 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunkelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Hispanic (11.5%), Two or More Races (9.6%). 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 Dunkelman (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 Dunkelman mean?
A German name meaning a dweller or native of a shady or dark place. 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 Dunkelman (0.03 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 Dunkelman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Dunkelman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.