2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Himmelmann
A German surname meaning "heavenly man" or "man from heaven".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Himmelmann. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Himmelmann 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Himmelmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Himmelmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Himmelmann
The surname Himmelmann originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Himmel," meaning heaven or sky, and "Mann," meaning man. The name likely referred to a person who lived near a place with a prominent sky or celestial feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Nürnberg city records from 1564, where a Hans Himmelmann is mentioned. In the 17th century, the name is found in various church registers in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
During the 18th century, the Himmelmann name gained prominence when Johann Friedrich Himmelmann (1713-1787), a German jurist and philosopher, published several works on natural law and legal theory. His son, Gustav Himmelmann (1750-1828), was a notable painter and engraver from Hamburg.
In the 19th century, the surname is associated with several military figures. Carl Himmelmann (1811-1891) was a Prussian general who served in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. His nephew, Max Himmelmann (1864-1924), was a Prussian officer and aviation pioneer who became one of the first fighter aces of World War I.
Another notable bearer of the name was Georg Himmelmann (1865-1933), a German architect who designed several buildings in Berlin, including the Charlottenburg Palace and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
In the field of literature, the Himmelmann name is associated with Ferdinand Himmelmann (1881-1944), a German writer and poet who was part of the Expressionist movement. His works, such as "Die Städte" (The Cities) and "Neue Gedichte" (New Poems), explored themes of urban life and modernity.
Other individuals with the Himmelmann surname include Karl Himmelmann (1888-1962), a German entomologist who specialized in the study of beetles, and Ernst Himmelmann (1903-1982), a German businessman and politician who served as the Minister of Economics in West Germany from 1957 to 1962.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Himmelmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Himmelmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Himmelmann 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 Himmelmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 6
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Himmelmann
Himmelmann 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,366 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-20 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,366 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 13,391 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 Himmelmann 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 | #143,149 | #156,540 | -9.4% |
| Count | 116 | 96 | -17.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Himmelmann bearers went from 116 to 96 (-17.2% change). The surname moved down 13,391 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #156,540.
FAQ
Himmelmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Himmelmann?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Himmelmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Himmelmann?
Himmelmann ranks #156,540 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 96 people with the surname Himmelmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), 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 Himmelmann.
Has Himmelmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Himmelmann went from 116 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 20 (-17.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Himmelmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Himmelmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Himmelmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Himmelmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Himmelmann (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 Himmelmann mean?
A German surname meaning "heavenly man" or "man from heaven". 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 Himmelmann (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 share the surname Himmelmann?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.