Wollman last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wollman

An Americanized spelling of the German surname referring to a wool worker or maker.

Wollman, 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 Wollman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wollman in America

Wollman is the 20299th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wollman surname appeared 1,310 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wollman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wollman 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 20299 16113 22.99%
Count 1,310 1,651 -23.03%
Proportion per 100k 0.44 0.61 -32.38%

The history of the last name Wollman

The surname Wollman has its origins in the regions of Central and Eastern Europe, predominantly within German-speaking territories. The name is thought to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. The areas where the name was originally found include parts of Germany, particularly in regions like Bavaria, and it spread into neighboring areas such as Austria and Switzerland.

The surname Wollman is derived from the Middle High German words "wolle," meaning wool, and "mann," meaning man. This indicates that the original bearers of the surname were likely involved in the wool trade, either as wool merchants, shearers, or textile workers. Variations of the surname include Wolman and Woolman, which reflect phonetic spellings found in historical documents dating back several centuries.

Historical references to the surname Wollman can be found in various town and trade records from the medieval period. For example, in the town register of Nuremberg from the 15th century, there is mention of a Johann Wollman who was a prominent wool merchant during that time. Besides trade records, the surname also appears in guild memberships and property ownership documents, indicating the significance of individuals carrying this surname in local economies.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Wollman was Hans Wollman, born in 1465, who was a noted professional in the wool industry in Augsburg, Bavaria. Another early notable figure was Maria Wollman (1501-1568), who was known for her entrepreneurial efforts in expanding her family's wool trade business in the Austrian Tyrol region.

As the surname progressed into the early modern period, one of the prominent figures was Georg Wollman (1560-1625), a Bavarian cloth merchant who played a significant role in the economic development of his town by establishing one of the first organized wool markets. In later periods, the surname appears in emigrant records during the large-scale migrations from Europe to the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Among the significant bearers of the surname in more recent history is Eduard Wollman (1828-1891), an industrialist in the textile sector in Saxony, Germany. He contributed to advancements in the manufacturing processes of wool textiles which had lasting impacts on the industry's efficiency and output.

Karl Wollman (1873-1942) was a prominent political figure in early 20th century Austria, actively involved in the social and economic reforms of his time. His advocacy for workers' rights and fair trade practices helped shape labor policies in the textile industry.

Throughout its history, the surname Wollman has been associated with the wool trade and textile industry, reflecting the socio-economic occupations of its bearers. The evolution of the surname and its presence in various historical records highlight the significant role individuals with this name played in their respective communities and economies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wollman

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

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 Wollman was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.48% 1,277
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.46% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.38% 5
Hispanic Origin 1.15% 15

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 Wollman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.48% 98.18% -0.72%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.46% 0.30% 42.11%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.38% 0.85% -76.42%
Hispanic 1.15% 0.42% 92.99%

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 Wollman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Wollman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wollman-surname-popularity/.

"Wollman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wollman-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Wollman last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wollman-surname-popularity/.

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