Find out how popular the last name Portman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Portman.

Portman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Portman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Portman in America

Portman is the 17406th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Portman surname appeared 1,621 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Portman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Portman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Portman

The surname Portman originated in England, and it is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "port," meaning a gate or entrance, and "mann," referring to a man or person. It is thought that the name was initially given as an occupational surname to gatekeepers or porters who guarded the entrances to towns, castles, or other fortified locations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Portman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1195, which mention a person named William Portman. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Portman in various counties across England.

In the 14th century, the Portman family established themselves as prominent landowners in Somerset, where they held the manor of Orchard Portman. Sir William Portman (c. 1495-1557), who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1555 to 1557, was a notable member of this family.

The Portman name has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Portman Square in London, which was developed in the 18th century on land owned by the Portman family. The Portman Estate in Marylebone, London, was also named after this influential family.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Portman. One of the earliest was Sir John Portman (c. 1395-1457), a wealthy merchant and member of Parliament from Somerset. Sir William Portman (c. 1643-1690) was a prominent English politician and MP who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1677 to 1689.

In more recent times, Natalie Portman (born 1981) is a famous American actress who has won an Academy Award and has starred in numerous critically acclaimed films. Sir Manny Portman (1836-1888) was a British businessman and philanthropist who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1886-1887.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Portman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Portman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Portman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Portman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Portman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Portman, please contact us.

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