2000
#4,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Garman
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of spears or other weaponry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,540 Americans carry the last name Garman. That puts it at #4,621 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,135 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Garman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,135
Census rank
#4,621
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,447 bearers of the surname Garman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4621st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garman
The surname GARMAN is of Anglo-Saxon origin and can be traced back to the Old English words "gara" meaning spear or javelin, and "mann" meaning man. The name likely originated in England during the 8th or 9th century and was initially used to identify individuals who were skilled in the use of spears or javelins, perhaps as soldiers or hunters.
The earliest recorded instance of the name GARMAN appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is found in various spellings, such as Garmane, Gairman, and Gareman, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common in that era.
During the Middle Ages, the GARMAN surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in southern England. This geographic concentration suggests that the name may have originated or gained prominence in these regions.
One notable bearer of the GARMAN name was Sir John Garman (c. 1380-1445), a member of the English gentry and a landowner in Oxfordshire. He served as a knight under King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War and participated in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
Another historically significant figure was Thomas Garman (1492-1554), an English clergyman and theologian who served as a canon of Windsor and was involved in the early stages of the English Reformation under King Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, Richard Garman (1629-1681) was a prominent English mathematician and astronomer. He served as the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford and made notable contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Moving into the 18th century, John Garman (1712-1782) was a renowned English clockmaker and inventor. He is credited with developing the first effective method for compensating for the effects of temperature changes on the accuracy of pendulum clocks.
Lastly, the 19th century saw the rise of William Garman (1810-1890), an English architect known for designing several notable buildings in London, including the former headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service on Whitehall Place.
The GARMAN surname has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the Anglo-Saxon tradition and a strong presence in various regions of England. These examples illustrate the diverse contributions of individuals bearing this name in fields ranging from military service and religion to science and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garman
Among Census respondents with the surname Garman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Garman 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 Garman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 6,840
- Two or more races2.8% · 211
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 190
- Black or African American1.7% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garman
Garman 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
#4,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,884
+456 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#4,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,447
-437 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,416 | 7,428 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,498 | 7,884 | 2.67 | +456 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #4,621 | 7,447 | 2.49 | -437 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 123 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 Garman 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 | #4,498 | #4,621 | -2.7% |
| Count | 7,884 | 7,447 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.49 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garman bearers went from 7,884 to 7,447 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,498 to #4,621.
FAQ
Garman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garman?
Name Census estimates that about 8,540 living Americans carry the surname Garman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,135 residents.
How common is Garman?
Garman ranks #4,621 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.49 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 7,447 people with the surname Garman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.49 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 Garman.
Has Garman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garman went from 7,884 recorded bearers to 7,447. That is a decrease of 437 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,498 to #4,621.
What does the Census say about the background of Garman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Garman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (6,840 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Garman (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 Garman mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of spears or other weaponry. 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 Garman (2.49 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 Garman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.