2000
#1,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,862
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.22
Uncommon Last name
Ackerman
A toponymic surname of German origin referring to someone who lived near a cultivated field or acre.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,196 Americans carry the last name Ackerman. That puts it at #1,464 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ackerman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ackerman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,603
Census rank
#1,464
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,716 bearers of the surname Ackerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1464th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ackerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ackerman
The surname Ackerman is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "acker," meaning "field" or "acre," combined with the word "man," signifying a person who worked or lived on a field or farm.
Ackerman is believed to have originated in the German states of Bavaria and Saxony, where many early records of the name can be found. In the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Ackermann, Ackerman, and Ackermann, reflecting regional spelling variations.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Ackerman can be found in the Kirchenbücher, or church records, of the town of Nördlingen in Bavaria, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention several individuals with the surname Ackerman, indicating that the name was well-established in the region at that time.
As the name Ackerman spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, it was often associated with people who worked in agriculture or owned land. In some instances, the name may have been derived from specific place names containing the word "acker," such as Ackerstedt or Ackerhof.
Notable individuals with the surname Ackerman include:
1. Hans Ackerman (1549-1618), a German painter and engraver known for his religious and mythological works.
2. Rudolph Ackerman (1764-1834), a German-born British publisher and bookseller who established the Ackermann's Repository of Arts, a influential 19th-century periodical.
3. Carl Wilhelm Ackermann (1808-1879), a German artist and lithographer renowned for his landscape and architectural prints.
4. Louise Ackerman (1813-1890), a French poet and writer who published several volumes of poetry and prose.
5. Sophie Ackermann (1872-1945), a German-American philanthropist and social worker who founded the Ackermann Institute for Family Therapy.
The surname Ackerman has traveled across borders and continents, carried by immigrants and families seeking new opportunities. While its origins can be traced back to rural Germany, the name has become a part of the cultural tapestry of many nations, reflecting the diverse histories and experiences of those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ackerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Ackerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ackerman 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 Ackerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 21,382
- Two or more races3.6% · 842
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 797
- Black or African American1.4% · 331
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 159
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ackerman
Ackerman 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
#1,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,401
+539 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 8.61
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#1,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,716
-1,685 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 7.93
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,300 | 24,862 | 9.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,398 | 25,401 | 8.61 | +539 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #1,464 | 23,716 | 7.93 | -1,685 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 66 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 Ackerman 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 | #1,398 | #1,464 | -4.7% |
| Count | 25,401 | 23,716 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 8.61 | 7.93 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ackerman bearers went from 25,401 to 23,716 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,398 to #1,464.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ackerman
FAQ
Ackerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ackerman?
Name Census estimates that about 27,196 living Americans carry the surname Ackerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,603 residents.
How common is Ackerman?
Ackerman ranks #1,464 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,716 people with the surname Ackerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Ackerman.
Has Ackerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ackerman went from 25,401 recorded bearers to 23,716. That is a decrease of 1,685 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,398 to #1,464.
What does the Census say about the background of Ackerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ackerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Ackerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (21,382 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ackerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Ackerman (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 Ackerman mean?
A toponymic surname of German origin referring to someone who lived near a cultivated field or acre. 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 Ackerman (7.93 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 people share the surname Ackerman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.