2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ermann
A German surname derived from the personal name Hermann.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Ermann. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ermann 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Ermann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ermann
The surname ERMANN originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name "Erwin" or "Arwin," which means "friend of the army" or "warrior friend." This name was composed of the elements "ari" (army) and "win" (friend).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ERMANN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where it appears as "Ermannus" in the year 1144. The name was also mentioned in the Annales Rodenses, a chronicle from the Benedictine monastery of Rode in Westphalia, in the year 1188.
During the Middle Ages, the ERMANN surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony, Westphalia, and the Rhineland. It is possible that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was a loyal friend or companion to a military leader or soldier.
In the 13th century, a notable individual named Henricus Ermannus was recorded as a landowner and nobleman in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae. Another early bearer of the name was Johannes Ermannus, a scholar and theologian who lived in the city of Cologne in the late 14th century.
As the surname spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, variations in spelling began to appear, such as Erman, Ermann, Ehrmann, and Ermannsdorf. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or derived from place names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ERMANN surname outside of Germany can be found in the Netherlands, where a merchant named Pieter Ermann was documented in the city of Amsterdam in the early 17th century.
Other notable individuals with the ERMANN surname throughout history include:
1. Johann Peter Ermann (1758-1828), a German geographer and naturalist.
2. Georg Adolf Ermann (1806-1877), a German physicist and explorer.
3. Vladimir Ermann (1879-1953), a Russian military officer and writer.
4. Paul Ermann (1904-1964), a German actor and filmmaker.
5. Mikhail Ermann (1912-1972), a Soviet military leader and writer.
The ERMANN surname has a rich history deeply rooted in the German language and culture, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages and possibly even earlier. While its meaning may have evolved over time, it remains a testament to the enduring legacy of Germanic names and their influence across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ermann
Among Census respondents with the surname Ermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ermann 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 Ermann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ermann
Ermann 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-23 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 32,032 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -23 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 32,032 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Ermann 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 | #158,432 | #154,755 | 2.3% |
| Count | 102 | 102 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ermann bearers went from 102 to 102 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,755.
FAQ
Ermann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ermann?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Ermann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Ermann?
Ermann ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Ermann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Ermann.
Has Ermann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ermann went from 102 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Ermann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Ermann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ermann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Ermann (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 Ermann mean?
A German surname derived from the personal name Hermann. 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 Ermann (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 are called Ermann?
Find out how many people have the surname Ermann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.