2000
#26,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Very Rare Last name
Offerman
A German surname referring to a person from a town or region called Offeren.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 929 Americans carry the last name Offerman. That puts it at #30,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 368,950 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Offerman 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
929
1 in 368,950
Census rank
#30,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
810
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 810 bearers of the surname Offerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Offerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Offerman
The surname Offerman is of Germanic origin, specifically Dutch. It is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Dutch words "off" meaning "high" or "elevated" and "erman" meaning "man" or "person." Together, the name can be interpreted as "man from the higher ground" or "man from the elevated area."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Offerman can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where the Offerman family is thought to have originated. The name appears in historical records dating back to the late 16th century, with references to individuals such as Jan Offerman (born circa 1570) and Pieter Offerman (born circa 1592), both from the city of Leeuwarden.
The name Offerman is also found in other parts of the Netherlands, including the provinces of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. In the 17th century, the name is mentioned in various civic records and church registers from cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. One notable individual from this period is Dirck Offerman (1612-1678), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and biblical scenes.
As the Dutch expanded their influence through trade and colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Offerman spread to other parts of the world. In the early 19th century, the name is recorded in South Africa, where Dutch settlers established colonies. One prominent figure from this time is Jan Offerman (1793-1864), a South African farmer and pioneer who played a significant role in the development of the Cape Colony.
Another notable individual with the surname Offerman is the American actor and writer Nick Offerman (born 1970). Known for his role as Ron Swanson in the television series "Parks and Recreation," Offerman has become a celebrated figure in contemporary popular culture.
Other historical figures who bore the surname Offerman include Heinrich Offerman (1876-1950), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic, and William Offerman (1853-1923), an American businessman and politician who served as the 21st Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.
While the surname Offerman may have evolved slightly in spelling or pronunciation over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands, where it emerged as a locational surname reflecting the elevated or higher ground where the family resided.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Offerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Offerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Offerman 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 Offerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 729
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 52
- Two or more races2.2% · 18
- Black or African American0.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Offerman
Offerman 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
#29,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 801
-82 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 3,395 places
2020
#30,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 810
+9 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,078 | 883 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,473 | 801 | 0.27 | -82 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 3,395 places |
| 2020 | #30,781 | 810 | 0.27 | +9 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 1,308 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 Offerman 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 | #29,473 | #30,781 | -4.4% |
| Count | 801 | 810 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Offerman bearers went from 801 to 810 (+1.1% change). The surname moved down 1,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,473 to #30,781.
FAQ
Offerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Offerman?
Name Census estimates that about 929 living Americans carry the surname Offerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 368,950 residents.
How common is Offerman?
Offerman ranks #30,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 810 people with the surname Offerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Offerman.
Has Offerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Offerman went from 801 recorded bearers to 810. That is an increase of 9 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,473 to #30,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Offerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Offerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Offerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (729 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Offerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Offerman (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 Offerman mean?
A German surname referring to a person from a town or region called Offeren. 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 Offerman (0.27 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 Americans have the surname Offerman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.