2000
#4,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Erdman
An occupational surname for someone who lived or worked on earth or cultivated soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,097 Americans carry the last name Erdman. That puts it at #5,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erdman 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
7.1K
1 in 48,296
Census rank
#5,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,189 bearers of the surname Erdman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erdman
The surname Erdman is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have emerged in the region of Bavaria during the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "erda" meaning "earth" and "mann" meaning "man," suggesting a connection to agriculture or a profession related to the land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erdman can be found in a document from the town of Nuremberg, dated around 1320, where a certain "Hans Erdman" is mentioned as a landowner. Another early reference is in the Bavarian town records of Augsburg from the late 14th century, which lists an "Ulrich Erdman" as a resident.
During the 15th century, the name appears to have spread to other German-speaking regions, such as Saxony and Silesia. In a manuscript from the city of Leipzig, dated 1472, a certain "Konrad Erdman" is listed as a merchant and guild member.
Variants of the name, such as Erdmann, Ehrdmann, and Eerdman, can be found in historical records from various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Notable individuals with the surname Erdman include:
1. Johann Erdman (1615-1692), a German theologian and author from Saxony.
2. Anna Maria Erdman (1687-1762), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
3. Nils Erdman (1808-1888), a Swedish businessman and industrialist who founded the Erdman Furniture Company.
4. Otto Erdman (1834-1905), a German-American engineer and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
5. Charles Erdman (1866-1960), an American Presbyterian minister and author from Pennsylvania.
The surname Erdman has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Erdmannsdorf, a village in Saxony, and Erdmannshausen, a town in Lower Saxony.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erdman
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Erdman 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 Erdman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 5,808
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 171
- Two or more races2.3% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- Black or African American0.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erdman
Erdman 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
#5,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,558
-66 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 443 places
2020
#5,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,189
-369 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,868 | 6,624 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,311 | 6,558 | 2.22 | -66 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 443 places |
| 2020 | #5,442 | 6,189 | 2.07 | -369 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 131 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 Erdman 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 | #5,311 | #5,442 | -2.5% |
| Count | 6,558 | 6,189 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.22 | 2.07 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erdman bearers went from 6,558 to 6,189 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,311 to #5,442.
FAQ
Erdman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erdman?
Name Census estimates that about 7,097 living Americans carry the surname Erdman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,296 residents.
How common is Erdman?
Erdman ranks #5,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 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 6,189 people with the surname Erdman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,097), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 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 Erdman.
Has Erdman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erdman went from 6,558 recorded bearers to 6,189. That is a decrease of 369 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,311 to #5,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Erdman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Erdman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (5,808 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erdman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Erdman (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 Erdman mean?
An occupational surname for someone who lived or worked on earth or cultivated soil. 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 Erdman (2.07 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 are called Erdman?
See how many people are called Erdman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.