2000
#10,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Korman
A Jewish surname derived from the Russian word "korman," meaning a rudder or steering wheel on a boat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,790 Americans carry the last name Korman. That puts it at #12,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Korman 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
2.8K
1 in 122,851
Census rank
#12,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,433 bearers of the surname Korman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Korman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Korman
The surname Korman is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in countries such as Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. It is derived from the Slavic root word "kor," which means "root" or "stump." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent tree stump or rooted area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Korman surname can be found in the Tarnogrod Land Records of Poland, dating back to the late 16th century. These records document a landowner named Andrzej Korman, who held property in the village of Tarnogrod.
In the 17th century, the Korman name appears in various church records and official documents across Eastern Europe. For instance, a record from the city of Lviv (now in Ukraine) mentions a merchant named Ivan Korman, who traded in textiles and spices.
During the 18th century, the Korman surname gained prominence in Russia. One notable figure was Yegor Korman, a military officer who served in the Russian Imperial Army under Catherine the Great. He was born in 1743 and participated in several campaigns against the Ottoman Empire.
Another historically significant individual with the Korman surname was Avram Korman, a Jewish scholar and philosopher from Galicia (now part of Ukraine). Born in 1785, he authored several influential works on Jewish mysticism and theology.
In the 19th century, the Korman name could be found across various regions of the Russian Empire, including modern-day Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia. One prominent figure from this era was Nikolai Korman, a Russian writer and poet who was born in 1811 and contributed to the literary movement known as Russian Romanticism.
As the Korman family spread across Eastern Europe, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Kormann, Kormen, and Kormin. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the Slavic word "kor."
It is important to note that while this surname has a rich history in Eastern Europe, it has also been adopted by individuals of different ethnic backgrounds over time, further diversifying its global distribution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Korman
Among Census respondents with the surname Korman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Korman 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 Korman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,234
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 89
- Two or more races2.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 36
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Korman
Korman 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
#9,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,488
+589 bearers (+20.3%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 868 places
2020
#12,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,433
-1,055 bearers (-30.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 2,874 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,205 | 2,899 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,337 | 3,488 | 1.18 | +589 bearers (+20.3%) | Up 868 places |
| 2020 | #12,211 | 2,433 | 0.81 | -1,055 bearers (-30.2%) | Down 2,874 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 Korman 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 | #9,337 | #12,211 | -30.8% |
| Count | 3,488 | 2,433 | -30.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 0.81 | -31.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Korman bearers went from 3,488 to 2,433 (-30.2% change). The surname moved down 2,874 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,337 to #12,211.
FAQ
Korman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Korman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,790 living Americans carry the surname Korman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,851 residents.
How common is Korman?
Korman ranks #12,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,433 people with the surname Korman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Korman.
Has Korman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Korman went from 3,488 recorded bearers to 2,433. That is a decrease of 1,055 (-30.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,337 to #12,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Korman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Korman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Korman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Korman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Korman (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 Korman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Russian word "korman," meaning a rudder or steering wheel on a boat. 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 Korman (0.81 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 Korman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.