2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Emerman
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word meaning "ant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Emerman. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emerman 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Emerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emerman
The surname Emerman has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "emmermann," which translates to "basket maker" or "basket weaver." This occupation-based surname was likely bestowed upon a family or individual who specialized in the craft of basket weaving.
In the early 1500s, the name Emerman appeared in various records and documents from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable mention can be found in the registry of the town of Nuremberg, where an Emerman family resided in the mid-16th century. The name was also referenced in tax records and guild registries, indicating the presence of Emerman basket makers and their trade activities.
The earliest known bearer of the Emerman surname was Hans Emerman, a basket weaver born in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1523. His son, Johann Emerman (1548-1612), continued the family tradition and became a well-respected basket maker in the region. Another early record dates back to 1572, mentioning a certain Friedrich Emerman who was a member of the basket weavers' guild in Nuremberg.
As the name spread across German territories, slight variations in spelling emerged, such as Emmerman, Emermann, and Emmermann. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and variations in record-keeping practices. However, the core meaning and origin remained consistent, tracing back to the basket-weaving profession.
One notable figure in history who bore the Emerman surname was Johann Christoph Emerman (1701-1768), a renowned composer and organist from Dresden. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded during the Baroque period. Another individual of note was Wilhelm Emerman (1834-1905), a German-born painter and illustrator who gained recognition for his landscape paintings and illustrations in the late 19th century.
Other historical figures bearing the Emerman name include Heinrich Emerman (1822-1895), a German politician and member of the Reichstag; Anna Emerman (1876-1942), a renowned opera singer and vocal teacher from Berlin; and Karl Emerman (1888-1961), a German-American chemist and educator who made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry.
The surname Emerman, with its rich history rooted in the basket-weaving tradition, has endured through the centuries, carrying the legacy of a skilled craft and the resilience of a respected trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Emerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Emerman 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 Emerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 108
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emerman
Emerman 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,608 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 Emerman 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 | #143,149 | #145,757 | -1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 115 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emerman bearers went from 116 to 115 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,757.
FAQ
Emerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emerman?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Emerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Emerman?
Emerman ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Emerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Emerman.
Has Emerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emerman went from 116 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Emerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Emerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Black (3.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Emerman (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 Emerman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word meaning "ant". 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 Emerman (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 common is the surname Emerman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Emerman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.