2000
#6,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,256
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Overman
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived on the upper part of a village or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,673 Americans carry the last name Overman. That puts it at #6,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,419 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Overman 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 Overman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,419
Census rank
#6,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,947 bearers of the surname Overman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Overman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Overman
The surname Overman originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ofer" meaning "over" and "mann" meaning "man". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in or came from a higher or more elevated place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Overman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Richard Overman is mentioned. The surname is also found in various tax records and legal documents from the 13th and 14th centuries across different counties in England.
In the late 13th century, a John Overman is recorded as being a landowner in the village of Overton, Cheshire. Overton is a place name derived from the Old English words "ofer" and "tun", meaning "over town", which may have influenced the spelling and usage of the surname Overman in this area.
During the 16th century, the surname Overman was also found in the Netherlands and parts of Germany, possibly due to migration or variations in spelling. One notable figure with this name was Jacobus Overman, a Dutch artist born in 1634 who specialized in still-life paintings.
In the 17th century, William Overman (1642-1719) was an English clergyman and author who published several theological works. Another notable bearer of the name was John Overman (1763-1838), an American frontiersman and early settler in Tennessee.
In the 19th century, Charles Overman (1835-1898) was a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to agricultural machinery. Meanwhile, in the United States, Andrew Overman (1819-1885) was a prominent businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Salisbury, North Carolina.
Throughout its history, the surname Overman has been associated with various professions and occupations, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, carrying with it a rich tapestry of stories and legacies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Overman
Among Census respondents with the surname Overman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Overman 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 Overman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 4,523
- Two or more races3.7% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 135
- Black or African American1.4% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Overman
Overman 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
#6,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,396
+140 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 300 places
2020
#6,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,947
-449 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 246 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,026 | 5,256 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,326 | 5,396 | 1.83 | +140 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 300 places |
| 2020 | #6,572 | 4,947 | 1.66 | -449 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 246 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 Overman 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 | #6,326 | #6,572 | -3.9% |
| Count | 5,396 | 4,947 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.66 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Overman bearers went from 5,396 to 4,947 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 246 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,326 to #6,572.
FAQ
Overman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Overman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,673 living Americans carry the surname Overman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,419 residents.
How common is Overman?
Overman ranks #6,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,947 people with the surname Overman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,673), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Overman.
Has Overman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Overman went from 5,396 recorded bearers to 4,947. That is a decrease of 449 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,326 to #6,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Overman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Overman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Overman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (4,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Overman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Overman (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 Overman mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived on the upper part of a village or settlement. 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 Overman (1.66 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 have the surname Overman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.