Find out how popular the last name Widman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Widman.

Widman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Widman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Widman in America

Widman is the 12856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Widman surname appeared 2,395 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Widman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Widman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Widman

The surname Widman originated in Germany and is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "wit," meaning "wide" or "broad," and the word "man," referring to a person. It is thought to have been a descriptive surname given to someone with a broad or sturdy build.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Widman can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in the region.

In the 14th century, the Widman family was mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where they held positions of influence and prominence. Johann Widman, a renowned mathematician and astronomer, was born in Eger (modern-day Cheb, Czech Republic) around 1460. He was the author of several works on arithmetic and astronomy.

During the 16th century, the Widman family expanded its presence across various regions of Germany. Hans Widman, a scholar and humanist, was born in Heilbronn in 1501. He studied at the University of Tübingen and later became a professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Heidelberg.

In the 17th century, the name Widman appeared in records from the town of Groß-Gerau in Hesse, where members of the family held positions as respected citizens and landowners. Johann Widman, born in Groß-Gerau in 1625, was a prominent jurist and served as a judge in the Imperial Chamber Court (Reichskammergericht).

The 18th century saw the Widman family spread further across Germany and into neighboring regions. Johann Widman, born in Nuremberg in 1724, was a renowned painter and engraver, known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the Nuremberg region.

As the name Widman continued to be passed down through generations, it also found its way into other parts of Europe and beyond. Notable individuals with this surname include the Swiss author and journalist Max Widmer (1876-1940), the American writer and educator John Wideman (born 1941), and the Swedish actress and director Pia Widmann (born 1945).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Widman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Widman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Widman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Widman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Widman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Widman, please contact us.

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