2000
#6,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,612
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Wortman
An occupational surname referring to a herb or root gatherer, dealer, or gardener.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,558 Americans carry the last name Wortman. That puts it at #7,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,198 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wortman 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
4.6K
1 in 75,198
Census rank
#7,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,975 bearers of the surname Wortman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wortman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wortman
The surname Wortman is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from a combination of the German words "Wort," meaning "word," and "Mann," meaning "man." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who was skilled in oratory or had a reputation for being a wordsmith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wortman can be found in the Duchy of Prussia, where it appeared in various historical documents from the 14th century onwards. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Pomerania and East Prussia, which were part of the former Prussian kingdom.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the name Wortman was Hans Wortman, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Prussia. He was born around 1515 and was known for his fierce opposition to the Catholic Church's teachings and practices.
The Wortman name also appeared in several historical records from the Holy Roman Empire, including the Württemberg region. In the 17th century, a notable figure named Johann Wortman was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the imperial courts of the Holy Roman Empire.
During the 18th century, the name Wortman gained prominence in the Rhineland region of Germany. One notable individual from this period was Friedrich Wortman, a wealthy merchant and landowner who was born in 1735 and played a significant role in the economic development of the region.
As the Wortman family spread across different parts of Germany, various spelling variations emerged, such as Wortmann, Wortmen, and Wortmans. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Wilhelm Wortman made significant contributions to the field of linguistics. Born in 1812, he was a renowned philologist and linguist who specialized in the study of Germanic languages and their historical development.
While the Wortman surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to emigration and migration patterns. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made notable contributions in various fields, including theology, law, commerce, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wortman
Among Census respondents with the surname Wortman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wortman 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 Wortman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 3,623
- Two or more races3.7% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 121
- Black or African American1.0% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wortman
Wortman 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
#7,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,572
-40 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 554 places
2020
#7,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,975
-597 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,737 | 4,612 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,291 | 4,572 | 1.55 | -40 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 554 places |
| 2020 | #7,993 | 3,975 | 1.33 | -597 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 702 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 Wortman 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 | #7,291 | #7,993 | -9.6% |
| Count | 4,572 | 3,975 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.33 | -14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wortman bearers went from 4,572 to 3,975 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 702 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,291 to #7,993.
FAQ
Wortman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wortman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,558 living Americans carry the surname Wortman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,198 residents.
How common is Wortman?
Wortman ranks #7,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,975 people with the surname Wortman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Wortman.
Has Wortman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wortman went from 4,572 recorded bearers to 3,975. That is a decrease of 597 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,291 to #7,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Wortman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wortman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Wortman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (3,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wortman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Wortman (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 Wortman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a herb or root gatherer, dealer, or gardener. 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 Wortman (1.33 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 Wortman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.