2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Routman
A surname possibly derived from a German place name containing the elements "rout" or "rot."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Routman. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Routman 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Routman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Routman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Routman
The surname Routman is believed to have originated in the region of Westphalia, Germany, during the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "raut," which means "red-haired" or "ruddy complexioned," and the suffix "-man," indicating a person or individual. This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Routman can be found in the parish records of several villages in Westphalia, dating back to the late 1500s. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Hans Routman, a farmer born in the village of Lüdenscheid in 1568. Another early record is that of Maria Routman, born in the town of Hagen in 1582.
In the 17th century, the name Routman appeared in various spellings, such as Rothman, Rautman, and Rautmann, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography. During this period, the name spread to other parts of Germany, particularly to the neighboring regions of Rhineland and Hesse.
One notable historical figure bearing the Routman name was Johann Routman (1632-1701), a Lutheran theologian and scholar from Westphalia. He authored several influential works on theology and was a respected figure in the Protestant intellectual circles of his time.
In the 18th century, the Routman name began to appear in records outside of Germany, as some members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, Peter Routman (1720-1788) was a merchant from Westphalia who settled in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and established a successful trading business.
As immigration to the Americas increased in the 19th century, several individuals bearing the Routman surname made their way across the Atlantic. One such individual was Johann Routman (1812-1893), who emigrated from Hesse to the United States in the 1840s and settled in Pennsylvania.
Another notable figure was Karl Routman (1845-1921), a German-born engineer who played a significant role in the construction of railroads and bridges in the American West during the latter half of the 19th century.
By the 20th century, the Routman name had spread across various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this surname contributing to various fields, including academia, arts, and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Routman
Among Census respondents with the surname Routman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Routman 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 Routman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 104
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Routman
Routman 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,040 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 19,040 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,879 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 Routman 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 | #143,149 | #145,028 | -1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 116 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Routman bearers went from 116 to 116 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,028.
FAQ
Routman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Routman?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Routman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Routman?
Routman ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Routman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Routman.
Has Routman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Routman went from 116 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Routman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Routman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Routman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Routman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Routman (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 Routman mean?
A surname possibly derived from a German place name containing the elements "rout" or "rot." 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 Routman (0.04 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 share the surname Routman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.