2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Paarmann
An occupational surname possibly derived from an occupation involving horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Paarmann. 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 Paarmann 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 Paarmann 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 Paarmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paarmann
The surname Paarmann is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the German word "Paar," which means a pair or a couple, and the suffix "-mann," indicating a man or person. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a matchmaker, helping to arrange marriages or partnerships.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paarmann can be found in the church records of the town of Mühlhausen, in the German state of Thuringia, where a certain Johann Paarmann was mentioned in the year 1621. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as land records and tax registers.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Paarmann was Johann Wilhelm Paarmann, a successful merchant and landowner from the city of Hamburg. He was born in 1732 and died in 1802, leaving behind a sizeable fortune and several properties.
Another prominent individual with the name Paarmann was Carl Friedrich Paarmann, a German philosopher and academic who lived from 1777 to 1848. He taught at the University of Jena and published several works on ethics and metaphysics.
During the 19th century, the Paarmann family gained recognition in the field of agriculture. August Paarmann (1821-1895) was a renowned farmer and landowner from the region of Saxony-Anhalt, renowned for his innovative farming techniques and successful business ventures.
In the realm of the arts, the name Paarmann is associated with the German painter and illustrator, Otto Paarmann, who lived from 1870 to 1942. He was known for his vibrant landscapes and depictions of rural life in Germany.
While the surname Paarmann is not among the most common in Germany or other parts of Europe, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paarmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Paarmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Paarmann 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 Paarmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paarmann
Paarmann 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 4,386 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 Paarmann 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 | #147,253 | #151,639 | -3.0% |
| Count | 112 | 107 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paarmann bearers went from 112 to 107 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 4,386 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #151,639.
FAQ
Paarmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paarmann?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Paarmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Paarmann?
Paarmann 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 Paarmann. 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 Paarmann.
Has Paarmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paarmann went from 112 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Paarmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paarmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Paarmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paarmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Paarmann (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 Paarmann mean?
An occupational surname possibly derived from an occupation involving horses. 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 Paarmann (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 Americans have the surname Paarmann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.