2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pallman
A German surname indicating an occupation related to managing or tending vineyards.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Pallman. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pallman 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Pallman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pallman
The surname PALLMAN is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, a state in southern Germany, during the 13th or 14th century.
One possible explanation for the origin of the name is that it derives from the German words "pall" and "mann," which together could mean "man of the palace" or "man of the court." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked or resided in a palace or noble household.
Alternatively, some scholars propose that PALLMAN could be a variant spelling of the German surname "Pallmann," which itself is thought to be derived from the German word "palle," meaning "pole" or "stake." This interpretation suggests a potential connection to occupations involving carpentry or construction.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in major historical documents like the Domesday Book, some of the earliest recorded instances of the PALLMAN surname can be found in German parish records and tax rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the PALLMAN surname include Johann Christoph Pallman (1685-1772), a German composer and organist who lived in the Baroque era. Another was Friedrich Pallman (1809-1892), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Reformation and the Protestant movement in Germany.
In the 20th century, Hans Pallman (1892-1976) was a German architect and urban planner known for his work in Berlin and other cities. Günther Pallmann (1899-1982) was a German actor and film director active in the mid-20th century, appearing in several notable German films.
More recently, Reinhard Pallmann (born 1938) is a German writer and journalist who has published numerous works on history, politics, and social issues.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the PALLMAN surname throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence and potential origins across different regions and eras in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pallman
Among Census respondents with the surname Pallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pallman 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 Pallman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pallman
Pallman 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-32 bearers (-24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 39,382 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,030 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -32 bearers (-24.1%) | Down 39,382 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 4,030 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 Pallman 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 | #159,712 | #155,682 | 2.5% |
| Count | 101 | 100 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pallman bearers went from 101 to 100 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,030 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #155,682.
FAQ
Pallman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pallman?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Pallman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Pallman?
Pallman ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Pallman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pallman.
Has Pallman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pallman went from 101 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Pallman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Pallman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pallman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Pallman (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 Pallman mean?
A German surname indicating an occupation related to managing or tending vineyards. 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 Pallman (0.03 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 Pallman?
If you just want to know how many people are called Pallman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.