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

Newman, 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 Newman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Newman in America

Newman is the 307th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Newman surname appeared 101,931 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 35 people would have the surname Newman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Newman 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 Newman

The surname Newman is an English occupational name that originates from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new, and "mann" meaning man or person. It was originally used to refer to someone who was new to a particular area or town, such as a newcomer or a settler.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various English counties, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Sussex. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include William le Neweman, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1194, and Richard le Niweman, found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1203.

The name appears in several historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Neuman" and "Niweman". It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where it is recorded as "Neuman" and "Niweman".

In the 14th century, the name began to be associated with specific places, such as Newnham in Hertfordshire and Newham in Essex. This led to variations in spelling, including "Newnham" and "Newnam".

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was John Newman (c. 1492 - c. 1559), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions under the reign of Queen Mary I.

Other prominent figures with the surname include Samuel Newman (1602 - 1663), an English Puritan minister and author who was one of the founders of the New England colony of Massachusetts; John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890), an influential English theologian and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; and Alfred Newman (1901 - 1970), an American composer and conductor who won nine Academy Awards for his film scores.

In the 19th century, the surname Newman became more widespread in England, with notable bearers including Francis William Newman (1805 - 1897), a English scholar and writer, and John Broadhurst Newman (1827 - 1890), an English architect responsible for several iconic buildings in Birmingham.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Newman

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

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 Newman 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 Newman 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 Newman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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