2000
#53,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Uhlmann
A surname possibly derived from a German place name or an occupational name for someone who farmed owls.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 425 Americans carry the last name Uhlmann. That puts it at #58,949 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 806,481 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uhlmann 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
425
1 in 806,481
Census rank
#58,949
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
371
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 371 bearers of the surname Uhlmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58949th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uhlmann
The surname Uhlmann is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "uhu" meaning "owl". It is believed to have originated in the central and southern regions of Germany during the medieval period, between the 11th and 14th centuries.
The name was likely first used as a descriptive surname, referring to an individual who possessed certain physical or behavioral characteristics akin to an owl. This could have been due to their nocturnal nature, sharp vision, or quiet demeanor. Over time, the surname became hereditary, passing down from generation to generation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Uhlmann can be found in the 14th-century Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Principality of Anhalt in central Germany. Here, a certain "Conradus Uhlmann" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1342.
In the 15th century, the Uhlmann surname appears in various municipal records and chronicles across different regions of Germany. Notable examples include Johannes Uhlmann, a merchant from Nuremberg who was granted citizenship in 1468, and Hans Uhlmann, a master craftsman and member of the guild of metalworkers in Augsburg, mentioned in records from 1492.
During the 16th century, the surname gained further prominence with the rise of the Protestant Reformation. One of the most renowned figures bearing this name was Johannes Uhlmann (1496-1556), a German theologian and Reformer who worked closely with Martin Luther and served as a pastor in several Lutheran churches.
In the 17th century, the Uhlmann name can be found in the records of various German states and principalities. One notable individual was Georg Uhlmann (1624-1687), a jurist and legal scholar who served as a counselor to the Duke of Saxe-Weimar.
As the centuries progressed, the Uhlmann surname spread across different regions of Germany and beyond, with various branches and lineages emerging. Some notable individuals with this surname include the German philosopher and psychologist Gustav Uhlmann (1828-1902), the Austrian architect and urban planner Camillo Sitte (born Camillo Uhlmann, 1843-1903), and the German-American physicist Fritz Uhlmann (1882-1971), who made significant contributions to the field of optics.
While the surname Uhlmann has its roots in the medieval German regions, it has since spread across various parts of Europe and the world, carried by individuals and families who have contributed to various fields and endeavors throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uhlmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Uhlmann 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 Uhlmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 329
- Two or more races5.1% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uhlmann
Uhlmann 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
#52,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 391
+30 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 689 places
2020
#58,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 371
-20 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 5,979 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,659 | 361 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,970 | 391 | 0.13 | +30 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 689 places |
| 2020 | #58,949 | 371 | 0.12 | -20 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 5,979 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 Uhlmann 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 | #52,970 | #58,949 | -11.3% |
| Count | 391 | 371 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.12 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uhlmann bearers went from 391 to 371 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 5,979 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,970 to #58,949.
FAQ
Uhlmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uhlmann?
Name Census estimates that about 425 living Americans carry the surname Uhlmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 806,481 residents.
How common is Uhlmann?
Uhlmann ranks #58,949 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 371 people with the surname Uhlmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Uhlmann.
Has Uhlmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uhlmann went from 391 recorded bearers to 371. That is a decrease of 20 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,970 to #58,949.
What does the Census say about the background of Uhlmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Uhlmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (329 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uhlmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Uhlmann (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 Uhlmann mean?
A surname possibly derived from a German place name or an occupational name for someone who farmed owls. 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 Uhlmann (0.12 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 Uhlmann?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Uhlmann at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.