2000
#18,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,367
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Rottman
A surname derived from the Middle German "rotte," meaning a clearing in the forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,407 Americans carry the last name Rottman. That puts it at #21,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 243,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rottman 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
1.4K
1 in 243,606
Census rank
#21,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,227 bearers of the surname Rottman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rottman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rottman
The surname Rottman has its origins in Germany, emerging during the late Middle Ages around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the German words "rot" meaning red and "mann" meaning man, likely referring to a person with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
The earliest known record of the name Rottman dates back to 1295, when a certain Heinricus Rottmann was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne. Another early reference is from 1389, where a Johannes Rottman was listed as a citizen of Strasbourg.
In the 15th century, the name Rottman appeared in various spellings such as Rotman, Rotmann, and Rothmann, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and orthography. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Hans Rottman, a merchant from Nuremberg who lived from around 1420 to 1488.
The 16th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the Rottman surname. Johann Rottmann (1508-1564) was a German Renaissance painter known for his landscapes and religious works. Another notable figure was Christoph Rottmann (1499-1553), a Protestant reformer and theologian who served as a court preacher in Württemberg.
In the 17th century, the name Rottman was found in various parts of Germany, as well as in areas where German immigrants had settled. One example is Balthasar Rottmann (1608-1671), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Tübingen.
The 18th century brought forth Johann Michael Rottmann (1719-1776), a German architect and sculptor who was active in the Baroque and Rococo styles. Another notable figure was Carl Rottmann (1797-1850), a German Romantic painter known for his landscapes depicting the Mediterranean region.
As the name Rottman spread throughout Europe and beyond, it continued to be associated with individuals of German descent. Examples from the 19th and early 20th centuries include the German-American artist Leopold Rottmann (1819-1886) and the German industrialist Gustav Rottmann (1859-1925), who founded a successful machinery company.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rottman
Among Census respondents with the surname Rottman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rottman 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 Rottman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,117
- Two or more races4.0% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 13
- Black or African American0.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rottman
Rottman 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
#20,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,323
-44 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 1,571 places
2020
#21,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,227
-96 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,594 | 1,367 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,165 | 1,323 | 0.45 | -44 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1,571 places |
| 2020 | #21,662 | 1,227 | 0.41 | -96 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 1,497 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 Rottman 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 | #20,165 | #21,662 | -7.4% |
| Count | 1,323 | 1,227 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.41 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rottman bearers went from 1,323 to 1,227 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 1,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,165 to #21,662.
FAQ
Rottman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rottman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,407 living Americans carry the surname Rottman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 243,606 residents.
How common is Rottman?
Rottman ranks #21,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,227 people with the surname Rottman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Rottman.
Has Rottman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rottman went from 1,323 recorded bearers to 1,227. That is a decrease of 96 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,165 to #21,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Rottman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rottman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Rottman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rottman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Rottman (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 Rottman mean?
A surname derived from the Middle German "rotte," meaning a clearing in the forest. 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 Rottman (0.41 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 Rottman?
You can see how many people have the last name Rottman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.