2000
#6,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,778
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Schulman
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "schulmann," meaning a synagogue sexton or caretaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,036 Americans carry the last name Schulman. That puts it at #7,314 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schulman 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
5.0K
1 in 68,061
Census rank
#7,314
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,392 bearers of the surname Schulman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7314th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schulman
The surname Schulman has its origins in the German and Jewish traditions, primarily found in Central and Eastern Europe. It is derived from the German word "Schule," meaning "school," and the suffix "-man," indicating a person associated with a particular occupation or profession.
The earliest recorded instances of the Schulman surname can be traced back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries in various regions of modern-day Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. These early records often referred to individuals who worked as teachers, tutors, or had some connection to educational institutions or synagogues.
One of the earliest known references to the Schulman name can be found in the Jewish community records of the city of Krakow, Poland, dating back to the late 16th century. In these records, a man named Isaac Schulman is mentioned as a respected teacher and scholar within the local Jewish community.
Another notable early bearer of the Schulman surname was Moses Schulman, a renowned Rabbi and Talmudic scholar who lived in the city of Frankfurt, Germany, during the mid-17th century. His works and teachings were highly regarded and influential within the Jewish scholarly community of his time.
In the 18th century, the Schulman surname began to spread more widely across Central and Eastern Europe, with notable individuals emerging in various fields. One such individual was Samuel Schulman, a prominent businessman and philanthropist who lived in the city of Prague, Czech Republic, in the late 18th century. He was known for his charitable contributions to the local Jewish community and his support of educational initiatives.
As the 19th century dawned, the Schulman surname continued to gain prominence, particularly in the fields of education and academia. Jacob Schulman, born in 1835 in Vilnius, Lithuania, was a renowned linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Semitic languages and Jewish literature.
In more recent history, the Schulman surname has been carried by several notable figures, including David Schulman, an American writer and journalist born in 1912, who published numerous works on Jewish culture and history. Additionally, Milton Schulman, born in 1913, was a distinguished American author and playwright whose works explored themes of Jewish identity and the immigrant experience.
While the Schulman surname has its roots in German and Jewish traditions, it has since become widely dispersed across various regions and cultures, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schulman
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schulman 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 Schulman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 4,094
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 148
- Two or more races1.6% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schulman
Schulman 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
#7,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,689
-89 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 587 places
2020
#7,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,392
-297 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,545 | 4,778 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,132 | 4,689 | 1.59 | -89 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 587 places |
| 2020 | #7,314 | 4,392 | 1.47 | -297 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 182 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 Schulman 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 | #7,132 | #7,314 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,689 | 4,392 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.47 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schulman bearers went from 4,689 to 4,392 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,132 to #7,314.
FAQ
Schulman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schulman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,036 living Americans carry the surname Schulman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,061 residents.
How common is Schulman?
Schulman ranks #7,314 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,392 people with the surname Schulman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,036), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Schulman.
Has Schulman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schulman went from 4,689 recorded bearers to 4,392. That is a decrease of 297 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,132 to #7,314.
What does the Census say about the background of Schulman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Schulman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (4,094 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schulman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Schulman (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 Schulman mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "schulmann," meaning a synagogue sexton or caretaker. 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 Schulman (1.47 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 have the last name Schulman?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Schulman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.