2000
#13,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Volkman
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a folk man or people's man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,315 Americans carry the last name Volkman. That puts it at #14,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Volkman 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
2.3K
1 in 148,058
Census rank
#14,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,019 bearers of the surname Volkman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Volkman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Volkman
The surname Volkman is of German origin, derived from the occupational name "Volker," meaning "fuller" or a person who treated and thickened cloth. The name can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where the textile industry was thriving.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Volkman can be found in the Bürger-Buch (Citizen Book) of the city of Nuremberg, dated 1347, which mentions a Johann Volkman, a cloth merchant.
In the 15th century, the name Volkman appeared in various court records and manuscripts, such as the Landbücher (Land Registers) of the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, which documented land ownership and transactions.
The surname Volkman is also closely associated with the town of Volkmarsen, located in the present-day state of Hesse, Germany. The town's name is believed to have derived from the Old High German term "folcmari," meaning "people's boundary or border."
Notable individuals with the surname Volkman throughout history include:
1. Johann Volkman (1516-1588), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of Lutheranism in Saxony.
2. Hans Volkman (1619-1675), a German painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works.
3. Christoph Volkman (1705-1761), a German mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
4. Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann (1801-1877), a German physiologist and anatomist who made significant discoveries in the field of neuroscience.
5. Richard Volkmann (1830-1889), a German philosopher and psychologist who pioneered the study of cognitive processes and perception.
The surname Volkman has also been associated with various place names, such as Volkmaritz, a village in Thuringia, Germany, and Volkmarsen, the aforementioned town in Hesse.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Volkman
Among Census respondents with the surname Volkman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Volkman 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 Volkman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,872
- Two or more races3.3% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Volkman
Volkman 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
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
+12 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 894 places
2020
#14,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
-131 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,112 | 2,138 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,006 | 2,150 | 0.73 | +12 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 894 places |
| 2020 | #14,273 | 2,019 | 0.68 | -131 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 267 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 Volkman 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 | #14,006 | #14,273 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,150 | 2,019 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.68 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Volkman bearers went from 2,150 to 2,019 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 267 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,006 to #14,273.
FAQ
Volkman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Volkman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,315 living Americans carry the surname Volkman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,058 residents.
How common is Volkman?
Volkman ranks #14,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,019 people with the surname Volkman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Volkman.
Has Volkman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Volkman went from 2,150 recorded bearers to 2,019. That is a decrease of 131 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,006 to #14,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Volkman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Volkman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Volkman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,872 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Volkman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Volkman (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 Volkman mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a folk man or people's man. 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 Volkman (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Volkman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.