2000
#9,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Nauman
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "niuwen," meaning to make or create something new.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,783 Americans carry the last name Nauman. That puts it at #9,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,604 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nauman 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 Nauman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,604
Census rank
#9,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,299 bearers of the surname Nauman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nauman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nauman
The surname NAUMAN is of German origin, derived from the Old German word 'nauman,' meaning a newcomer or a stranger. This name originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany, during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded mention of the name NAUMAN can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Michaelis Bambergensis, a 12th-century document from the Benedictine abbey in Bamberg, Bavaria. This manuscript lists several individuals with the surname NAUMAN, suggesting that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, the name NAUMAN appeared in various records and documents across German-speaking regions, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Lubecensis, a collection of charters from the city of Lübeck. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its initial Bavarian origins.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname NAUMAN was Johann Nauman (1436-1501), a German theologian and reformer from Saxony. He played a significant role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another historical figure bearing the name NAUMAN was Johann Gottlieb Naumann (1741-1801), a German composer and Kapellmeister who composed numerous operas, oratorios, and instrumental works. He is considered one of the pioneers of the German Romantic movement in music.
In the 16th century, the name NAUMAN was also found in the Low Countries, particularly in the Netherlands. One example is Cornelis Nauman (1551-1619), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
The surname NAUMAN is derived from the Old German word 'nauman,' meaning a newcomer or a stranger. This suggests that the name originally referred to individuals who had recently settled in a particular area or were perceived as outsiders.
Over the centuries, the NAUMAN surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from theologians and composers to artists and scholars. Despite its origins as a descriptor for newcomers, the name has become deeply rooted in German and Dutch cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nauman
Among Census respondents with the surname Nauman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nauman 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 Nauman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 2,884
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.3% · 240
- Two or more races2.6% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 65
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nauman
Nauman 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
#9,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,497
+320 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 87 places
2020
#9,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,299
-198 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,398 | 3,177 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,311 | 3,497 | 1.19 | +320 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 87 places |
| 2020 | #9,437 | 3,299 | 1.10 | -198 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 126 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 Nauman 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 | #9,311 | #9,437 | -1.4% |
| Count | 3,497 | 3,299 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.10 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nauman bearers went from 3,497 to 3,299 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,311 to #9,437.
FAQ
Nauman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nauman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,783 living Americans carry the surname Nauman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,604 residents.
How common is Nauman?
Nauman ranks #9,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,299 people with the surname Nauman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,783), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Nauman.
Has Nauman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nauman went from 3,497 recorded bearers to 3,299. That is a decrease of 198 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,311 to #9,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Nauman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nauman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Nauman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (2,884 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nauman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%), Two or More Races (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 Nauman (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 Nauman mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "niuwen," meaning to make or create something new. 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 Nauman (1.10 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 Nauman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.