2000
#7,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,949
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Pohlman
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived by a pond or small body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,466 Americans carry the last name Pohlman. That puts it at #8,133 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,748 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pohlman 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
4.5K
1 in 76,748
Census rank
#8,133
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,895 bearers of the surname Pohlman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8133rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pohlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pohlman
The surname Pohlman is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic word "pohl," which means "marsh" or "swamp," combined with the suffix "-man," indicating a person or resident. The name likely originated in a region known for its marshlands, such as northern Germany or the Netherlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pohlman can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from Bremen, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, including Pohleman, Pohlman, and Polman, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic changes over time.
During the 14th century, the Pohlman name gained prominence in the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. Records indicate that several Pohlman merchants and traders were active members of this influential organization.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Pohlman name was Johann Pohlman (1516-1589), a German theologian and reformer from Lübeck. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another prominent individual with the Pohlman surname was Carl Friedrich Pohlman (1779-1847), a German architect and urban planner. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the city of Leipzig, where he designed several notable buildings and public spaces.
During the 19th century, the Pohlman name spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas as individuals emigrated from their ancestral homelands. One remarkable figure was Johann Christian Pohlman (1810-1888), a German-American artist and engraver who was renowned for his intricate illustrations and engravings depicting scenes from the American Civil War.
In the 20th century, the Pohlman name gained recognition through individuals such as Paul Pohlman (1901-1983), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in the Art Deco style, including the iconic Gulf Building in Houston, Texas.
Throughout its history, the Pohlman surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, theologians, architects, artists, and urban planners, reflecting the diverse contributions of those who bore this name across different eras and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pohlman
Among Census respondents with the surname Pohlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pohlman 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 Pohlman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 3,704
- Two or more races2.1% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 72
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pohlman
Pohlman 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
#8,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,945
-4 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 631 places
2020
#8,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,895
-50 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,758 | 3,949 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,389 | 3,945 | 1.34 | -4 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 631 places |
| 2020 | #8,133 | 3,895 | 1.30 | -50 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 256 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 Pohlman 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 | #8,389 | #8,133 | 3.1% |
| Count | 3,945 | 3,895 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.30 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pohlman bearers went from 3,945 to 3,895 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,389 to #8,133.
FAQ
Pohlman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pohlman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,466 living Americans carry the surname Pohlman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,748 residents.
How common is Pohlman?
Pohlman ranks #8,133 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,895 people with the surname Pohlman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,466), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pohlman.
Has Pohlman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pohlman went from 3,945 recorded bearers to 3,895. That is a decrease of 50 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,389 to #8,133.
What does the Census say about the background of Pohlman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pohlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Pohlman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (3,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pohlman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Pohlman (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 Pohlman mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived by a pond or small body of water. 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 Pohlman (1.30 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 Pohlman?
You can see how many people have the last name Pohlman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.