2000
#18,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Ulman
An Americanized spelling of the German surname Ullmann, meaning "watchman" or "guard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,448 Americans carry the last name Ulman. That puts it at #21,146 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 236,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulman 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
1.4K
1 in 236,709
Census rank
#21,146
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,263 bearers of the surname Ulman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21146th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulman
The surname Ulman is of German origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 14th century. The name is derived from the Old German personal name Ulman, which itself is a combination of the Germanic elements "ul," meaning "wolf," and "man," meaning "man" or "person."
Ulman was initially a personal name that was later adopted as a hereditary surname. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 14th century in the German state of Bavaria. In the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Raitenbuch, a medieval manuscript containing records of the Benedictine monastery in Regensburg, there are several mentions of individuals with the name Ulman.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Ulman was Ulman Stromer, a renowned engineer and inventor born in Nuremberg, Germany, around 1329. He is credited with designing and constructing the Nuremberg Egg, an early mechanical clock that is considered a precursor to the modern clock.
In the 15th century, the name Ulman appeared in various historical records across Germany. For instance, in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the state of Württemberg, there are references to individuals named Ulman von Esslingen and Ulman der Münzer.
Another notable figure with the surname Ulman was Hans Ulman, a German goldsmith and engraver from Nuremberg, who lived between 1480 and 1530. He is renowned for his intricate engravings and metalwork, which are considered among the finest examples of Renaissance art in Germany.
In the 16th century, the surname Ulman was also found in the Netherlands. One prominent individual was Adriaan Ulman, a Dutch painter and etcher born in Friesland around 1550. He is known for his landscapes and etchings depicting Dutch cities and rural scenes.
The surname Ulman has also been associated with various place names in Germany. For example, the town of Ulmen in Bavaria was once known as Ulmenheim, derived from the Old German word "ulm," meaning "elm tree." This name is likely related to the surname Ulman, suggesting a possible connection between the name and certain geographic locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulman
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulman 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 Ulman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 1,195
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 21
- Two or more races1.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 15
- Black or African American0.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulman
Ulman 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
#19,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,349
-9 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 1,214 places
2020
#21,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,263
-86 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 1,239 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,693 | 1,358 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,907 | 1,349 | 0.46 | -9 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 1,214 places |
| 2020 | #21,146 | 1,263 | 0.42 | -86 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 1,239 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 Ulman 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 | #19,907 | #21,146 | -6.2% |
| Count | 1,349 | 1,263 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.42 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulman bearers went from 1,349 to 1,263 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 1,239 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,907 to #21,146.
FAQ
Ulman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,448 living Americans carry the surname Ulman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 236,709 residents.
How common is Ulman?
Ulman ranks #21,146 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,263 people with the surname Ulman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Ulman.
Has Ulman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulman went from 1,349 recorded bearers to 1,263. That is a decrease of 86 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,907 to #21,146.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) 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 Ulman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (1,195 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (1.7%), 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 Ulman (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 Ulman mean?
An Americanized spelling of the German surname Ullmann, meaning "watchman" or "guard." 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 Ulman (0.42 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 Ulman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ulman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.