2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Esserman
An Americanized spelling of the German surname meaning "ash tree man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Esserman. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esserman 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Esserman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esserman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esserman
The surname ESSERMAN is of German origin, with records dating back to the 16th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The name is derived from the Old German word "esche," meaning ash tree, combined with the suffix "-mann," indicating a person or occupation. This suggests that the original bearers of the name were likely associated with the cultivation or trade of ash trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where a certain Hans Esserman was mentioned in 1572. Another early reference appears in the court records of Leipzig, Saxony, in 1618, when an individual named Jürgen Esserman was involved in a legal dispute.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, as evidenced by the birth record of Johann Esserman in the city of Hanover in 1673. A notable figure from this period was Johann Christoph Esserman (1692-1759), a respected theologian and author from Breslau, Silesia (now Wrocław, Poland).
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Esserman became more widespread across German-speaking regions. Johann Georg Esserman (1778-1852), a prominent merchant from Frankfurt am Main, was known for his extensive trade network and philanthropic efforts. Another notable bearer of the name was Karl Friedrich Esserman (1823-1899), a renowned architect from Berlin who designed several notable buildings, including the Bode Museum.
As German immigration to the United States increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Esserman also found its way to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances in America was Jacob Esserman (1845-1912), a successful businessman who emigrated from Bavaria and established a thriving import-export company in New York City.
Throughout history, the surname ESSERMAN has been associated with individuals from various professions, including academics, artists, and entrepreneurs. Notable examples include the American poet and literary critic Marvin Esserman (1914-2001), the German-born sculptor and painter Franz Esserman (1889-1972), and the American businessman and philanthropist Harvey Esserman (1921-2005), who founded a successful electronics company.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esserman
Among Census respondents with the surname Esserman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Esserman 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 Esserman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esserman
Esserman 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-17 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,741 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 20,741 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,435 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 Esserman 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 | #135,593 | #145,028 | -7.0% |
| Count | 124 | 116 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esserman bearers went from 124 to 116 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,435 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #145,028.
FAQ
Esserman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esserman?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Esserman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Esserman?
Esserman ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Esserman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Esserman.
Has Esserman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esserman went from 124 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Esserman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esserman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Esserman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esserman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Esserman (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 Esserman mean?
An Americanized spelling of the German surname meaning "ash tree man". 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 Esserman (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 share the surname Esserman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.