2000
#3,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,949
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.32
Rare Last name
Putman
Derived from the Dutch nickname Putman, meaning a well digger or a person who lived near a well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,684 Americans carry the last name Putman. That puts it at #4,077 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Putman 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 Putman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.7K
1 in 35,394
Census rank
#4,077
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,445 bearers of the surname Putman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4077th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Putman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Putman
The surname Putman is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "put" meaning a pit or hole, and "mann" meaning a man or person. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a pit or worked as a digger of holes or pits.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Putman can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Puteman" in this historical record.
In the 13th century, variations of the name such as "Putman" and "Pittman" can be found in various county records across England, particularly in areas like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and spelling differences at the time.
During the medieval period, the name Putman was also associated with certain place names. For example, the village of Puttenham in Surrey, England, was once known as "Puttenheth" or "Puttenehuthe," which may have contributed to the development of the surname Putman in that area.
One notable individual with the surname Putman was John Putman, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses in the 17th century. He was born in England around 1625 and immigrated to Virginia, where he became a prominent figure in colonial politics.
Another historical figure was Sir George Putman, an English soldier and politician who lived from 1614 to 1690. He served as a member of Parliament and played a role in the English Civil War, fighting for the Parliamentarian forces.
In the 18th century, the Putman surname was also found in Scotland, with records showing individuals like Robert Putman, a merchant in Glasgow born in 1735.
One of the earliest known instances of the surname in the United States was Thomas Putman, who was born in England around 1615 and settled in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1630s. He became a prominent member of the Salem community and had several descendants who carried on the Putman name.
Another notable American with the surname was Rufus Putman, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Connecticut in 1738 and served in several major battles, including the Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Yorktown.
Throughout history, the surname Putman has undergone various spelling variations, including Pittman, Putnam, Puttman, and Pudman, among others. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its connection to its Old English roots and the association with pits or holes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Putman
Among Census respondents with the surname Putman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Putman 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 Putman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 7,100
- Black or African American8.1% · 688
- Two or more races3.9% · 327
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Putman
Putman 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
#3,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,058
+109 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 275 places
2020
#4,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,445
-613 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,649 | 8,949 | 3.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,924 | 9,058 | 3.07 | +109 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 275 places |
| 2020 | #4,077 | 8,445 | 2.83 | -613 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 153 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 Putman 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 | #3,924 | #4,077 | -3.9% |
| Count | 9,058 | 8,445 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.83 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Putman bearers went from 9,058 to 8,445 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,924 to #4,077.
FAQ
Putman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Putman?
Name Census estimates that about 9,684 living Americans carry the surname Putman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,394 residents.
How common is Putman?
Putman ranks #4,077 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,445 people with the surname Putman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Putman.
Has Putman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Putman went from 9,058 recorded bearers to 8,445. That is a decrease of 613 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,924 to #4,077.
What does the Census say about the background of Putman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Putman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Putman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (7,100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Putman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Putman (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 Putman mean?
Derived from the Dutch nickname Putman, meaning a well digger or a person who lived near a well. 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 Putman (2.83 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 people are called Putman?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Putman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.