2000
#6,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Wittman
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German words "wît" (wood) and "man" (man), denoting a woodsman or forester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,096 Americans carry the last name Wittman. That puts it at #7,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wittman 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
5.1K
1 in 67,259
Census rank
#7,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,444 bearers of the surname Wittman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wittman
The surname Wittman originated in Germany and is believed to have derived from a combination of the Germanic elements "wit" meaning wide or broad, and "mann" meaning man or person. It is thought to have initially been a descriptive name given to someone with a broad or sturdy physique.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Wittman date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. It appears in historical records spelled in various ways, such as Wittmann, Wihtman, and Witman, reflecting regional dialect variations.
In the 14th century, the name Wittman is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents related to the Brandenburg region of Germany. This suggests the name was prevalent in that area during that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Wittman was Hans Wittman, a merchant and city councilor in Nuremberg, who lived from around 1430 to 1495. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Wittman, a Protestant reformer and theologian from Saxony, who lived between 1498 and 1572.
In the 16th century, the name Wittman is recorded in connection with the town of Wittmannsdorf, now part of the city of Chemnitz in Saxony. This suggests the name may have been derived from or associated with this place name at some point in its history.
Later notable individuals with the surname Wittman include Johann Michael Wittman (1661-1722), a German composer and organist, and Johann Georg Wittman (1717-1776), a German mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the calculation of cometary orbits.
As the name spread beyond Germany, it also took on variations in other languages, such as Whitman in English-speaking regions. Walt Whitman (1819-1892), the renowned American poet and author, is perhaps the most famous bearer of this variant of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wittman
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wittman 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 Wittman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 4,050
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 150
- Two or more races3.1% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 39
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wittman
Wittman 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
#7,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,739
+146 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 298 places
2020
#7,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,444
-295 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,763 | 4,593 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,061 | 4,739 | 1.61 | +146 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 298 places |
| 2020 | #7,239 | 4,444 | 1.49 | -295 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 178 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 Wittman 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 | #7,061 | #7,239 | -2.5% |
| Count | 4,739 | 4,444 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.49 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wittman bearers went from 4,739 to 4,444 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,061 to #7,239.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wittman
FAQ
Wittman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wittman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,096 living Americans carry the surname Wittman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,259 residents.
How common is Wittman?
Wittman ranks #7,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,444 people with the surname Wittman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,096), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Wittman.
Has Wittman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wittman went from 4,739 recorded bearers to 4,444. That is a decrease of 295 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,061 to #7,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Wittman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Wittman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (4,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wittman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Wittman (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 Wittman mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German words "wît" (wood) and "man" (man), denoting a woodsman or forester. 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 Wittman (1.49 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 Wittman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.