2000
#31,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 708
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Thalman
A locational surname referring to someone from a valley or dale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 753 Americans carry the last name Thalman. That puts it at #36,629 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 455,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thalman 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
753
1 in 455,185
Census rank
#36,629
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
657
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 657 bearers of the surname Thalman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36629th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thalman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thalman
The surname THALMAN is of German origin, originating in the late 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Thal," meaning valley, and the suffix "-man," which denotes a person. Thus, THALMAN would have been an occupational name referring to someone who lived or worked in a valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the THALMAN name can be found in various German parish records and tax rolls from the late 1500s and early 1600s, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Württemberg. Some variations in spelling included Thalmann, Thalhammer, and Thalheimer.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the THALMAN surname was Johann Michael Thalman (1627-1688), a German composer and organist from Bavaria. He was renowned for his organ works and served as the court composer to the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt.
Another historical figure was Christian Thalman (1701-1771), a German theologian and philosopher from Saxony. He authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy during the Enlightenment period.
In the 19th century, Karl Thalman (1843-1917) was a German-American businessman and philanthropist from Württemberg. He emigrated to the United States and established a successful brewing company in St. Louis, Missouri. Thalman was also a prominent benefactor to various educational and cultural institutions in his adopted city.
Moving into the 20th century, Ernst Thalman (1886-1944) was a German communist leader and head of the Communist Party of Germany during the Weimar Republic and the early years of Nazi rule. He was executed by the Nazis in Buchenwald concentration camp for his political activities.
Another notable figure was Irene Thalman (1919-2005), a Swiss-American artist and sculptor. Born in Basel, Switzerland, she immigrated to the United States in the 1940s and became known for her abstract metal sculptures, which can be found in numerous public spaces and museums across the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thalman
Among Census respondents with the surname Thalman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Thalman 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 Thalman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 592
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 39
- Two or more races2.0% · 13
- Black or African American1.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thalman
Thalman 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
#34,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 666
-42 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 3,096 places
2020
#36,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 657
-9 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 2,519 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,014 | 708 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,110 | 666 | 0.23 | -42 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 3,096 places |
| 2020 | #36,629 | 657 | 0.22 | -9 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 2,519 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 Thalman 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 | #34,110 | #36,629 | -7.4% |
| Count | 666 | 657 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.22 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thalman bearers went from 666 to 657 (-1.4% change). The surname moved down 2,519 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,110 to #36,629.
FAQ
Thalman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thalman?
Name Census estimates that about 753 living Americans carry the surname Thalman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 455,185 residents.
How common is Thalman?
Thalman ranks #36,629 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 657 people with the surname Thalman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (753), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Thalman.
Has Thalman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thalman went from 666 recorded bearers to 657. That is a decrease of 9 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,110 to #36,629.
What does the Census say about the background of Thalman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thalman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Thalman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thalman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Thalman (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 Thalman mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a valley or dale. 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 Thalman (0.22 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 common is the surname Thalman?
If you just want to know how common the surname Thalman is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.