2000
#3,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.17
Rare Last name
Neuman
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "niuwe," meaning "new" or "newcomer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,885 Americans carry the last name Neuman. That puts it at #3,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neuman 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 Neuman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,674
Census rank
#3,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,620 bearers of the surname Neuman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neuman can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, dating back to the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neuman
Among Census respondents with the surname Neuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Neuman 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 Neuman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 7,885
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 329
- Two or more races2.9% · 249
- Black or African American0.8% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neuman
Neuman 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
#3,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,982
+418 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 156 places
2020
#3,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,620
-362 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,801 | 8,564 | 3.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,957 | 8,982 | 3.04 | +418 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 156 places |
| 2020 | #3,999 | 8,620 | 2.88 | -362 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 42 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 Neuman 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 | #3,957 | #3,999 | -1.1% |
| Count | 8,982 | 8,620 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.04 | 2.88 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neuman bearers went from 8,982 to 8,620 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,957 to #3,999.
FAQ
Neuman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neuman?
Name Census estimates that about 9,885 living Americans carry the surname Neuman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,674 residents.
How common is Neuman?
Neuman ranks #3,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,620 people with the surname Neuman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Neuman.
Has Neuman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neuman went from 8,982 recorded bearers to 8,620. That is a decrease of 362 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,957 to #3,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Neuman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Neuman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (7,885 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neuman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Neuman (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 Neuman mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "niuwe," meaning "new" or "newcomer." 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 Neuman (2.88 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 Neuman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.