2000
#14,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,812
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Pullman
A surname potentially originating from the occupation of pulling carriage cars.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,777 Americans carry the last name Pullman. That puts it at #17,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 192,884 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pullman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pullman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 192,884
Census rank
#17,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,550 bearers of the surname Pullman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pullman
The surname Pullman is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pullian," which means "to pluck" or "to pull," and was likely an occupational name for a person who worked as a wool puller or a cloth maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1327, where one Robert le Pullman was listed. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during the 14th century.
The Pullman surname is also associated with certain place names in England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire and Yorkshire. In the 16th century, records show variations of the name such as Pullman, Poolman, and Poleman, which may have been influenced by the local dialects or spellings of the time.
Notable individuals bearing the Pullman surname include George Mortimer Pullman (1831-1897), an American industrialist and inventor who revolutionized the railroad passenger car industry with his innovative sleeping car design. His company, the Pullman Palace Car Company, became a prominent manufacturer of luxury railcars in the late 19th century.
Another prominent figure was Philip Pullman (born 1946), a renowned British author best known for his fantasy trilogy, "His Dark Materials." His works have been widely acclaimed and have garnered numerous awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Book of the Year award.
In the realm of sports, Daren Pullman (born 1975) was a professional boxer from England who competed in the heavyweight division and held the British heavyweight title between 2003 and 2005.
The Pullman surname also has historical roots in other fields, such as architecture and engineering. Thomas Pullman (1830-1892) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal Academy of Music.
Additionally, John Pullman (1876-1947) was an American civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Panama Canal, serving as the resident engineer for the Gatun Locks project during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pullman
Among Census respondents with the surname Pullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pullman 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 Pullman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 1,301
- Black or African American7.0% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 63
- Two or more races3.5% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pullman
Pullman 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
#16,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,733
-79 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 1,594 places
2020
#17,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,550
-183 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 1,221 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,966 | 1,812 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,560 | 1,733 | 0.59 | -79 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 1,594 places |
| 2020 | #17,781 | 1,550 | 0.52 | -183 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 1,221 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 Pullman 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 | #16,560 | #17,781 | -7.4% |
| Count | 1,733 | 1,550 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.52 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pullman bearers went from 1,733 to 1,550 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 1,221 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,560 to #17,781.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pullman
FAQ
Pullman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pullman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,777 living Americans carry the surname Pullman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 192,884 residents.
How common is Pullman?
Pullman ranks #17,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,550 people with the surname Pullman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,777), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Pullman.
Has Pullman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pullman went from 1,733 recorded bearers to 1,550. That is a decrease of 183 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,560 to #17,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Pullman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Pullman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (1,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pullman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (7.0%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Pullman (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 Pullman mean?
A surname potentially originating from the occupation of pulling carriage cars. 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 Pullman (0.52 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 Pullman?
Want to know how common the surname Pullman is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.