2000
#7,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Waltman
An occupational surname referring to someone who managed or worked in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,680 Americans carry the last name Waltman. That puts it at #7,800 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waltman 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
4.7K
1 in 73,238
Census rank
#7,800
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,081 bearers of the surname Waltman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7800th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waltman
The surname Waltman has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name "Waldmann," which translates to "man from the woods" or "forester." This name was likely given to someone who lived in or worked in a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waltman can be found in the town of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Waltman von Nürnberg was mentioned in a document from the year 1290. This document referred to him as a landowner and respected member of the community.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name, such as Waltmann, Waldmann, and Waldtmann, were prevalent in various regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Saxony.
In the 15th century, the Waltman name appeared in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Hans Waltman was a prominent figure in the local trade guild.
As the centuries passed, the Waltman name spread across Europe, with some notable individuals bearing the surname. One such person was Johann Christoph Waltman (1683-1748), a German composer and organist from Leipzig, who is known for his contributions to the Baroque music tradition.
Another notable Waltman was Sir Edward Waltman (1768-1835), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath for his bravery and leadership.
In the 19th century, the Waltman name made its way to the United States, with many immigrants from Germany settling in various parts of the country. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Jacob Waltman (1795-1870), a farmer and landowner in Pennsylvania who was known for his community service and philanthropy.
Other notable individuals with the surname Waltman include Robert Waltman (1923-2007), an American lawyer and judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and Franklyn Waltman (1885-1962), a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waltman
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Waltman 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 Waltman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,704
- Two or more races3.9% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waltman
Waltman 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
#6,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,822
+620 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Up 353 places
2020
#7,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,081
-741 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 844 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,309 | 4,202 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,956 | 4,822 | 1.63 | +620 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 353 places |
| 2020 | #7,800 | 4,081 | 1.37 | -741 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 844 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 Waltman 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 | #6,956 | #7,800 | -12.1% |
| Count | 4,822 | 4,081 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.63 | 1.37 | -16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waltman bearers went from 4,822 to 4,081 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 844 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,956 to #7,800.
FAQ
Waltman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waltman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,680 living Americans carry the surname Waltman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,238 residents.
How common is Waltman?
Waltman ranks #7,800 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,081 people with the surname Waltman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Waltman.
Has Waltman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waltman went from 4,822 recorded bearers to 4,081. That is a decrease of 741 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,956 to #7,800.
What does the Census say about the background of Waltman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Waltman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waltman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Waltman (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 Waltman mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who managed or worked 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 Waltman (1.37 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 Waltman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.