2000
#5,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Waldman
An occupational surname referring to someone living near or working in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,172 Americans carry the last name Waldman. That puts it at #6,106 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,534 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waldman 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 Waldman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,534
Census rank
#6,106
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,382 bearers of the surname Waldman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6106th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waldman
The surname Waldman has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German words "wald," meaning forest, and "mann," meaning man or person. This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who lived in or near forested areas or worked as foresters or woodsmen.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Waldemann" or "Waldemanne," reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions of the time. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval German documents and records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which dates back to the 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Waldman name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. One notable individual bearing this surname was Hans Waldman, a prominent merchant and banker from Nuremberg, who lived in the late 15th century.
As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent slight variations in spelling and pronunciation, such as "Waldmann" in Switzerland and "Waldemar" in Scandinavia. In the 16th century, a Swiss military commander named Rudolf Waldmann played a significant role in the battles against the Habsburgs.
Another notable figure was Johann Waldmann, a German poet and dramatist born in 1557 in Saxony. He is known for his contributions to the development of German Renaissance literature.
In the 18th century, Johann Jakob Waldmann, a Swiss theologian and philosopher, made important contributions to the field of natural theology and was highly regarded for his scholarly works.
As the Industrial Revolution brought about increased mobility and migration, the Waldman name spread further across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world. One notable figure from this era was Carl Waldman, a German-American artist and illustrator born in 1895, who gained recognition for his paintings depicting scenes from the American West.
Throughout its history, the surname Waldman has been associated with various professions, from foresters and woodsmen to merchants, military leaders, scholars, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waldman
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Waldman 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 Waldman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 5,019
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 180
- Two or more races2.1% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 54
- Black or African American0.2% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waldman
Waldman 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
#6,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,549
+158 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#6,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,382
-167 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Up 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,878 | 5,391 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,167 | 5,549 | 1.88 | +158 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #6,106 | 5,382 | 1.80 | -167 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 61 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 Waldman 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 | #6,167 | #6,106 | 1.0% |
| Count | 5,549 | 5,382 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.80 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waldman bearers went from 5,549 to 5,382 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,167 to #6,106.
FAQ
Waldman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waldman?
Name Census estimates that about 6,172 living Americans carry the surname Waldman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,534 residents.
How common is Waldman?
Waldman ranks #6,106 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,382 people with the surname Waldman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Waldman.
Has Waldman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waldman went from 5,549 recorded bearers to 5,382. That is a decrease of 167 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,167 to #6,106.
What does the Census say about the background of Waldman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Waldman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (5,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waldman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Waldman (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 Waldman mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone living near or working in a forest. 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 Waldman (1.80 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 Waldman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.