2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Thelemann
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a hill or dale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Thelemann. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thelemann 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Thelemann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thelemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thelemann
The surname Thelemann is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "thal," meaning "valley," and the suffix "-mann," which refers to a person. Therefore, the name Thelemann likely referred to someone who lived in or came from a particular valley.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Thelemann can be found in the records of the town of Mühlhausen, located in the present-day state of Thuringia, Germany. In the year 1567, a man named Hans Thelemann was listed as a resident of the town.
As the name spread throughout Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, including Thalemann, Thalman, and Thallmann. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or phonetic adaptations.
One notable individual with the surname Thelemann was Johann Thelemann, a German composer and organist who lived from 1655 to 1734. He was born in the town of Sömmerda, located in present-day Thuringia, and is considered one of the most important composers of the North German Baroque period.
Another historical figure bearing the name Thelemann was Gottfried Thelemann, a German Lutheran minister and theologian who lived from 1628 to 1688. He served as a pastor in several churches in Saxony and was known for his writings on theological subjects.
In the 19th century, a man named Carl Thelemann (1815-1891) gained prominence as a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities, including the Anhalter Bahnhof, a former railway station in Berlin.
Moving into the 20th century, Erwin Thelemann (1895-1963) was a German naval officer who served during World War I and World War II. He rose to the rank of Vice Admiral in the Kriegsmarine, the naval force of Nazi Germany.
Finally, Günter Thelemann (1919-2004) was a German artist and printmaker known for his contributions to the German Expressionist movement. His works, including woodcuts and lithographs, often depicted scenes of everyday life and urban landscapes.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Thelemann has a long and rich history, tracing its roots back to the valleys of medieval Germany and spanning various fields, including music, theology, architecture, military service, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thelemann
Among Census respondents with the surname Thelemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Thelemann 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 Thelemann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 110
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thelemann
Thelemann 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,431 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,431 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,042 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 Thelemann 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 | #139,228 | #144,270 | -3.6% |
| Count | 120 | 117 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thelemann bearers went from 120 to 117 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #144,270.
FAQ
Thelemann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thelemann?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Thelemann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Thelemann?
Thelemann ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Thelemann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Thelemann.
Has Thelemann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thelemann went from 120 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Thelemann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thelemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Thelemann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thelemann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Black (0.9%). 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 Thelemann (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 Thelemann mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a hill 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 Thelemann (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 Thelemann?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.