2000
#11,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Silberman
A Jewish surname of German origin, derived from the word "silber," meaning silver, likely referring to a silversmith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,836 Americans carry the last name Silberman. That puts it at #12,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,858 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Silberman 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
2.8K
1 in 120,858
Census rank
#12,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,473 bearers of the surname Silberman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Silberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Silberman
The surname Silberman originates from Germany and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Silber" meaning silver, and "Mann" meaning man. The name likely referred to an occupation or trade involving silver, such as a silversmith or silver miner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, where a Hans Silberman was listed as a master silversmith in 1529. The name also appears in various other German town and village records from that period, indicating its widespread use across various regions.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Silberman name became associated with notable individuals in various fields. For example, Johann Andreas Silbermann (1678-1733) was a renowned German organ builder whose instruments can still be found in churches across Europe. Another notable figure was Gottfried Silbermann (1683-1753), a German instrument maker and founder of the Silbermann piano-making dynasty.
In the realm of literature, Johann Gottfried Silbermann (1763-1824) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his works in the Romantic era. His poem "An die Nacht" (To the Night) is considered a classic of German Romantic poetry.
As Germans immigrated to other parts of the world, the Silberman name spread to different countries. One example is Joseph Silberman (1834-1901), a German-born American businessman who founded the Silberman Furniture Company in New York City, which became a prominent furniture manufacturer in the late 19th century.
Another notable figure was Max Silberman (1876-1944), a German-born American lawyer and jurist who served as a judge on the New York Supreme Court and played a significant role in shaping the legal system in the state of New York.
While these are just a few examples, the Silberman name has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be found in various records and accounts across different regions and fields, reflecting its enduring presence and diverse contributions to society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Silberman
Among Census respondents with the surname Silberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Silberman 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 Silberman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,268
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 137
- Two or more races1.4% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Silberman
Silberman 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
#11,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,765
+274 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 169 places
2020
#12,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,473
-292 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,573 | 2,491 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,404 | 2,765 | 0.94 | +274 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 169 places |
| 2020 | #12,048 | 2,473 | 0.83 | -292 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 644 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 Silberman 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 | #11,404 | #12,048 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,765 | 2,473 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.83 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Silberman bearers went from 2,765 to 2,473 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 644 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,404 to #12,048.
FAQ
Silberman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Silberman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,836 living Americans carry the surname Silberman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,858 residents.
How common is Silberman?
Silberman ranks #12,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,473 people with the surname Silberman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Silberman.
Has Silberman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Silberman went from 2,765 recorded bearers to 2,473. That is a decrease of 292 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,404 to #12,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Silberman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Silberman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Silberman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Silberman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Silberman (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 Silberman mean?
A Jewish surname of German origin, derived from the word "silber," meaning silver, likely referring to a silversmith. 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 Silberman (0.83 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 Silberman?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Silberman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.