2000
#13,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Gelman
A Jewish occupational surname derived from Yiddish, meaning "a man from Chelm" or "a wise man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,154 Americans carry the last name Gelman. That puts it at #15,086 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gelman 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
2.2K
1 in 159,125
Census rank
#15,086
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,878 bearers of the surname Gelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15086th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gelman
The surname Gelman is of Yiddish and Russian origin, derived from the German word "Gelb" meaning "yellow." It was likely originally a descriptive surname given to someone with a yellowish complexion or yellow hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the Gelman surname date back to the late 18th century in areas of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. It first appeared in various census and birth records in shtetls and small Jewish communities across these regions.
In the early 19th century, the Gelman name began appearing in official government records and documents, particularly after the Russian Empire implemented policies requiring Jews to adopt official surnames. It's possible the name evolved from earlier Yiddish spellings like "Gelmon" or "Gellman."
One of the earliest known individuals with the Gelman surname was Avrom Gelman, born around 1790 in the town of Berdychiv, which was part of the Russian Empire at the time. Records indicate he was a merchant and tradesman.
Another early figure was Rabbi Shmuel Gelman, born in 1815 in the town of Zhytomyr, who was a respected scholar and teacher in his community. He authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy.
In the late 19th century, the Gelman surname began appearing in census records in major cities like Odessa and Kyiv, as many Jews from smaller towns migrated to urban centers for economic opportunities.
As Jews faced persecution and antisemitism in the Russian Empire, many Gelmans immigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This led to the surname's spread globally.
Notable Gelmans in more recent history include Jacques Gelman (1909-1986), a French artist and sculptor, and Marvin Gelman (1929-2012), an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Gelman Library at George Washington University.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gelman 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 Gelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,726
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 87
- Two or more races1.7% · 32
- Black or African American0.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gelman
Gelman 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
#12,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,491
+386 bearers (+18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 831 places
2020
#15,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,878
-613 bearers (-24.6%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 2,626 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,291 | 2,105 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,460 | 2,491 | 0.84 | +386 bearers (+18.3%) | Up 831 places |
| 2020 | #15,086 | 1,878 | 0.63 | -613 bearers (-24.6%) | Down 2,626 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 Gelman 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 | #12,460 | #15,086 | -21.1% |
| Count | 2,491 | 1,878 | -24.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.63 | -25.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gelman bearers went from 2,491 to 1,878 (-24.6% change). The surname moved down 2,626 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,460 to #15,086.
FAQ
Gelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gelman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,154 living Americans carry the surname Gelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,125 residents.
How common is Gelman?
Gelman ranks #15,086 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,878 people with the surname Gelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,154), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gelman.
Has Gelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gelman went from 2,491 recorded bearers to 1,878. That is a decrease of 613 (-24.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,460 to #15,086.
What does the Census say about the background of Gelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Gelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,726 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Gelman (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 Gelman mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from Yiddish, meaning "a man from Chelm" or "a wise 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 Gelman (0.63 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 Gelman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.