2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Paalman
A Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who maintained boundary markers or poles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Paalman. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paalman 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Paalman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paalman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paalman
The surname PAALMAN is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, with its earliest known references dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "paal," meaning "pole" or "stake," which suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person who lived near a boundary marker or worked as a boundary marker installer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PAALMAN surname can be found in the Dutch city of Leiden, where a certain Pieter PAALMAN was mentioned in a municipal record from the year 1587. This document suggests that the PAALMAN family may have been residing in the Leiden area during the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the PAALMAN name appears to have spread to other parts of the Netherlands, with records indicating the presence of individuals bearing this surname in cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam. For instance, a marriage record from 1642 in Amsterdam mentions a Cornelis PAALMAN who wed Margaretha van der Hoeven.
As the Dutch established colonies and trading posts around the world, the PAALMAN surname also began to appear in various overseas locations. One notable example is Jan PAALMAN, a Dutch settler who arrived in present-day South Africa in 1688 and became one of the earliest recorded residents of the Cape Colony.
Another significant figure in the history of the PAALMAN surname is Willem PAALMAN, a Dutch merchant and ship owner who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1723 in Amsterdam, Willem PAALMAN was a prominent figure in the city's maritime trade and played a role in the establishment of the Dutch East India Company's operations in Indonesia.
In the 19th century, the PAALMAN surname continued to be well-represented in various parts of the Netherlands, as well as in Dutch communities abroad. One notable individual was Pieter PAALMAN, a Dutch painter and illustrator who was born in 1818 in Amsterdam and gained recognition for his depictions of rural life and landscapes.
As the PAALMAN name spread across different regions and countries, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as PAALMANN, PAHLMAN, and PAALMEN. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and differences in pronunciation or transliteration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paalman
Among Census respondents with the surname Paalman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Paalman 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 Paalman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paalman
Paalman 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,539 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+7 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 10,539 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 9,336 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 Paalman 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 | #160,975 | #151,639 | 5.8% |
| Count | 100 | 107 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paalman bearers went from 100 to 107 (+7.0% change). The surname moved up 9,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #151,639.
FAQ
Paalman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paalman?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Paalman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Paalman?
Paalman ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Paalman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Paalman.
Has Paalman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paalman went from 100 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 7 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Paalman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paalman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Paalman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paalman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Paalman (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 Paalman mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who maintained boundary markers or poles. 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 Paalman (0.04 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 Paalman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.