2000
#34,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Kollmann
A variant of the German surname derived from "Kollnus," meaning coal burner or charcoal maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 833 Americans carry the last name Kollmann. That puts it at #33,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 411,470 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kollmann 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
833
1 in 411,470
Census rank
#33,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
726
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 726 bearers of the surname Kollmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kollmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kollmann
The surname KOLLMANN originates from Germany, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "koln," which means "charcoal burner" or "charcoal maker." This occupation was common in the forested regions of Germany, where charcoal production was a vital industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KOLLMANN name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the former Kingdom of Saxony. In this document, dated 1287, a man named Henricus Kollmann is mentioned as a resident of the town of Zwickau.
During the late Middle Ages, the KOLLMANN surname began to spread across various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. In the 16th century, the name appeared in church records from the town of Gräfenberg, located in the Franconian region of Bavaria.
A notable figure from this era was Hans KOLLMANN, a master builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city of Nuremberg between 1520 and 1560.
As the KOLLMANN family continued to grow and disperse throughout Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as KOLMAN, KOLLMAN, and KOLMANN. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local scribes.
In the 18th century, a prominent KOLLMANN was Johann Georg KOLLMANN, a Lutheran theologian and philosopher who was born in Saxony in 1713. He authored several influential works on theology and logic during his lifetime.
Another notable individual with this surname was August Friedrich Christoph KOLLMANN, a German composer and music theorist who lived from 1756 to 1829. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the violoncello and his published works on music theory.
During the 19th century, the KOLLMANN name gained further recognition with the birth of Julius KOLLMANN, a German explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of South American flora and fauna. He was born in 1834 and undertook several expeditions to Brazil and Argentina.
As the KOLLMANN family spread across Europe and beyond, they left their mark in various fields, from architecture and theology to music and exploration. While the surname's origins can be traced back to the humble occupation of charcoal burning in medieval Germany, it has since become a name associated with achievement and diversity across generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kollmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Kollmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kollmann 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 Kollmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 687
- Two or more races2.3% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kollmann
Kollmann 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
#32,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 703
+82 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 1,827 places
2020
#33,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 726
+23 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,067 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,503 | 621 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,676 | 703 | 0.24 | +82 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 1,827 places |
| 2020 | #33,743 | 726 | 0.24 | +23 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 1,067 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 Kollmann 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 | #32,676 | #33,743 | -3.3% |
| Count | 703 | 726 | 3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kollmann bearers went from 703 to 726 (+3.3% change). The surname moved down 1,067 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,676 to #33,743.
FAQ
Kollmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kollmann?
Name Census estimates that about 833 living Americans carry the surname Kollmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 411,470 residents.
How common is Kollmann?
Kollmann ranks #33,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 726 people with the surname Kollmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (833), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Kollmann.
Has Kollmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kollmann went from 703 recorded bearers to 726. That is an increase of 23 (+3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,676 to #33,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Kollmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kollmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Kollmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (687 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kollmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Kollmann (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 Kollmann mean?
A variant of the German surname derived from "Kollnus," meaning coal burner or charcoal maker. 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 Kollmann (0.24 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 Americans have the surname Kollmann?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.