Find out how popular the last name Neuman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Neuman.

Neuman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Neuman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neuman in America

Neuman is the 3957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neuman surname appeared 8,982 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Neuman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neuman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Neuman

The surname Neuman originated in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, specifically in modern-day Germany, during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "neuman," which means "new man" or "newcomer." This name was likely given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or town.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neuman can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a person named "Neuman" in the year 1289.

In the 14th century, the name Neuman appeared in various records across German-speaking regions. For example, in the city of Nuremberg, a certain "Hans Neuman" was mentioned in a document from 1367. Similarly, in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a "Konrad Neuman" was recorded in 1389.

The name Neuman can also be found in some place names, such as Neumannsgrund, a village in the district of Neustadt an der Aisch in Bavaria, Germany. This place name likely originated from a person with the surname Neuman who may have been one of the earliest settlers or landowners in the area.

One notable historical figure with the surname Neuman was Johann Gottlieb Neuman (1724-1786), a German philosopher and theologian. He was born in Nuremberg and is known for his work on natural philosophy and his critique of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant.

Another prominent individual was Johann Nepomuk Neumann (1811-1860), a Bohemian Catholic priest and missionary. He is recognized as the first American male saint to be canonized, and his name is often written as "John Neumann" in English.

In the arts, there was Carl Gottlieb Neuman (1772-1828), a German composer and pianist who was active in the early Romantic period. He was born in Leipzig and is known for his piano sonatas and concertos.

One cannot forget the contributions of Robert Neumann (1897-1975), an Austrian-American film director and producer. He directed several notable films in the 1930s and 1940s, including "Cavalcade" (1933) and "Beloved Enemy" (1936).

Finally, a more recent figure was the American mathematician Carl Neumann (1923-2017), who made significant contributions to the fields of game theory and mathematical economics. He taught at various prestigious universities, including Purdue University and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neuman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Neuman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Neuman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Neuman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Neuman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Neuman, please contact us.

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