2000
#9,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Ullman
Derived from the German occupational surname Ullmann, meaning "wool man" or someone who worked with wool.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,364 Americans carry the last name Ullman. That puts it at #10,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ullman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ullman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,889
Census rank
#10,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,934 bearers of the surname Ullman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ullman
The surname ULLMAN originates from Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "ulna," meaning elbow or forearm. The name likely referred to a physical characteristic or occupation involving the use of the forearm, such as a weaver or a miller.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany, dated around 1280. The name is spelled "Ulmann" in these records.
In the 14th century, the surname is found in various parts of central and southern Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. Variations in spelling include Ulman, Ullmann, and Uhlmann.
The Ullman surname is also associated with several notable historical figures. One example is Johann Ullmann (1617-1672), a German theologian and professor at the University of Leipzig. Another is Philipp Ludwig Ullmann (1742-1807), a German jurist and author of legal texts.
In the 18th century, the surname appears in records from Switzerland, where it is sometimes spelled "Ulmann." One notable Swiss bearer of the name was Johann Rudolf Ullmann (1756-1835), a politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council.
The 19th century saw the Ullman surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. In England, there was Sir Charles Ullmann (1817-1897), a businessman and philanthropist who was knighted for his contributions to the textile industry.
Another prominent figure was Max Ullmann (1874-1944), an Austrian-born chemist who made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and was a professor at the University of Greifswald in Germany.
In the United States, the Ullman surname appears in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often associated with German and Swiss immigrants. One example is Benjamin Ullmann (1861-1939), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the company that later became the Ullman Sewing Machine Company.
Throughout its history, the Ullman surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including academics, scientists, businesspeople, and politicians, reflecting its widespread presence across various regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ullman
Among Census respondents with the surname Ullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ullman 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 Ullman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,710
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 102
- Two or more races2.6% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ullman
Ullman 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
#10,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,213
+98 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 452 places
2020
#10,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,934
-279 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 420 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,574 | 3,115 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,026 | 3,213 | 1.09 | +98 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 452 places |
| 2020 | #10,446 | 2,934 | 0.98 | -279 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 420 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 Ullman 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 | #10,026 | #10,446 | -4.2% |
| Count | 3,213 | 2,934 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.98 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ullman bearers went from 3,213 to 2,934 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 420 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,026 to #10,446.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ullman
FAQ
Ullman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ullman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,364 living Americans carry the surname Ullman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,889 residents.
How common is Ullman?
Ullman ranks #10,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,934 people with the surname Ullman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Ullman.
Has Ullman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ullman went from 3,213 recorded bearers to 2,934. That is a decrease of 279 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,026 to #10,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ullman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ullman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,710 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ullman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ullman (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 Ullman mean?
Derived from the German occupational surname Ullmann, meaning "wool man" or someone who worked with wool. 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 Ullman (0.98 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 Ullman?
See how many people have the surname Ullman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.