2000
#44,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Nordmann
A surname deriving from the German words "nord" (north) and "mann" (man), referring to one's northern geographic origin or ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 560 Americans carry the last name Nordmann. That puts it at #46,955 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 612,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nordmann 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
560
1 in 612,061
Census rank
#46,955
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
488
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 488 bearers of the surname Nordmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46955th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nordmann
The surname NORDMANN originated in Germany, likely in the northern region during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German words "nord" meaning "north" and "man" meaning "man," thus translating to "north man" or "northern man."
The name may have initially referred to someone who hailed from the northern parts of Germany or someone who had migrated from the north. It could also have been an occupational surname for a navigator or explorer associated with northern expeditions or trade routes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NORDMANN can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a world history published in 1493, which mentions a "Johann Nordmann" from the region of Saxony.
In the 16th century, there are records of a merchant family named NORDMANN in the city of Hamburg, suggesting the name's association with trade and commerce in northern Germany.
During the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name NORDMANN was Johann Nordmann (1620-1688), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Greifswald.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Georg Nordmann (1768-1820), a German naturalist and explorer who conducted scientific expeditions to regions such as the Caucasus and the Crimean Peninsula.
In the 19th century, Johannes Nordmann (1808-1860) was a German entomologist and naturalist known for his contributions to the study of insects, particularly in the Caucasus region.
The surname NORDMANN also appears in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia, indicating possible migration patterns or trade connections with northern Germany.
While the name NORDMANN may have evolved with various spellings and regional variations over time, its core meaning remains rooted in the concept of a person or family associated with the northern regions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nordmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nordmann 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 Nordmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 456
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 24
- Black or African American1.0% · 5
- Two or more races0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nordmann
Nordmann 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
#43,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 494
+41 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 1,003 places
2020
#46,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 488
-6 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 3,304 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,654 | 453 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,651 | 494 | 0.17 | +41 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 1,003 places |
| 2020 | #46,955 | 488 | 0.16 | -6 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 3,304 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 Nordmann 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 | #43,651 | #46,955 | -7.6% |
| Count | 494 | 488 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nordmann bearers went from 494 to 488 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 3,304 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,651 to #46,955.
FAQ
Nordmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nordmann?
Name Census estimates that about 560 living Americans carry the surname Nordmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 612,061 residents.
How common is Nordmann?
Nordmann ranks #46,955 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 488 people with the surname Nordmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (560), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nordmann.
Has Nordmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nordmann went from 494 recorded bearers to 488. That is a decrease of 6 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,651 to #46,955.
What does the Census say about the background of Nordmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Nordmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (456 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nordmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (4.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Nordmann (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 Nordmann mean?
A surname deriving from the German words "nord" (north) and "mann" (man), referring to one's northern geographic origin or ancestry. 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 Nordmann (0.16 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 common is the surname Nordmann?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Nordmann, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.