Find out how popular the last name Feldman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Feldman.

Feldman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Feldman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Feldman in America

Feldman is the 1540th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Feldman surname appeared 23,356 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Feldman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Feldman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Feldman

The surname Feldman is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German words "velt" meaning "field" and "man" meaning "man." It first emerged in the 13th century as an occupational name for someone who lived or worked in fields, likely as a farmer or agricultural laborer.

The earliest known record of the surname Feldman dates back to the 14th century in the town of Nuremberg, Bavaria. It appears in a manuscript from 1347 as "Hans Veltman," referring to a local landowner.

During the Middle Ages, the Feldman name was primarily concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and neighboring areas. Variations in spelling included Veltman, Feltman, and Feldtman, reflecting regional dialects and scribal inconsistencies.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Feldman surname was Johannes Feldmann (c. 1490 - 1558), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

In the 17th century, the Feldman name gained prominence in the Netherlands, likely due to migration from Germany. One example is Willem Feldmann (1616 - 1668), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and landscapes.

As the Feldman family spread across Europe, the name appeared in various historical records and documents. For instance, the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, includes a reference to a landowner named "Alured de Feldemannesvurde" in Warwickshire, possibly an early precursor to the Feldman name.

Other notable individuals with the Feldman surname include:

1. Anatole Feldman (1891 - 1948), a Russian-born French artist and painter associated with the Cubist movement.
2. Morton Feldman (1926 - 1987), an American composer and a major figure in the avant-garde movement of the 20th century.
3. Sylvia Feldman (1925 - 2011), an American abstract expressionist painter and educator.
4. François Feldman (born 1942), a French singer and actor known for his successful music career in the 1960s and 1970s.
5. Corinne Feldman (born 1964), an American novelist and screenwriter, best known for her work on the television series "Dawson's Creek" and "Life Unexpected."

While the Feldman surname has its roots in medieval Germany, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, carrying a rich history and diverse cultural influences over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Feldman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Feldman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Feldman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Feldman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Feldman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Feldman, please contact us.

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