2000
#1,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,697
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.19
Uncommon Last name
Neumann
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a newcomer or stranger to a settlement or community.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,256 Americans carry the last name Neumann. That puts it at #2,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,800 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neumann 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 Neumann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,800
Census rank
#2,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,792 bearers of the surname Neumann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neumann
The surname Neumann originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria. It is derived from the German words "neu" meaning "new" and "mann" meaning "man," effectively translating to "new man." The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, possibly as a descriptive surname for someone who had recently arrived in a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Neumann can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Nyeman" is mentioned in the year 1286. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Neumann," "Newmann," and "Nuweman," reflecting regional variations and the evolution of the German language over time.
In the 14th century, the Neumann name was documented in the town records of Nuremberg, where a family bearing this surname was among the respected citizens. In the 16th century, the name was associated with the Protestant Reformation, with notable figures like Caspar Neumann (1648-1715), a German theologian and philosopher who studied at the University of Wittenberg.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Johann Neumann (1456-1529), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. Another notable individual was Franz Neumann (1798-1895), an influential German mineralogist and physicist who formulated the principles of crystallographic symmetry.
The Neumann name has also been associated with various place names, such as Neumannsgrund and Neumansgrün in Saxony, which may have influenced the adoption of the surname in certain regions. Additionally, the name has appeared in various forms, such as Neumann, Neuman, Nauman, and Naumann, reflecting regional linguistic variations.
Other notable individuals bearing the Neumann surname include:
1. John von Neumann (1903-1957), a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist, considered one of the pioneers of modern computer architecture and game theory.
2. Alfred Neumann (1900-1949), a German-American film director and screenwriter, known for his work in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.
3. Kurt Neumann (1898-1964), a German-American film director and producer, known for his work in science fiction and horror films, including the cult classic "The Fly" (1958).
4. Robert Neumann (1897-1975), an Austrian writer and playwright, known for his novels and plays exploring the themes of exile and displacement in the aftermath of World War II.
5. Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753), a German architect and engineer, renowned for his Baroque and Rococo style, with notable works such as the Würzburg Residence and the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neumann
Among Census respondents with the surname Neumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Neumann 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 Neumann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 15,467
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 611
- Two or more races2.7% · 460
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 150
- Black or African American0.4% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neumann
Neumann 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
#2,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,484
+787 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.93
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#2,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,792
-692 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.62
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,992 | 16,697 | 6.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,067 | 17,484 | 5.93 | +787 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #2,093 | 16,792 | 5.62 | -692 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 26 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 Neumann 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 | #2,067 | #2,093 | -1.3% |
| Count | 17,484 | 16,792 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.93 | 5.62 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neumann bearers went from 17,484 to 16,792 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,067 to #2,093.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Neumann
FAQ
Neumann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neumann?
Name Census estimates that about 19,256 living Americans carry the surname Neumann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,800 residents.
How common is Neumann?
Neumann ranks #2,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,792 people with the surname Neumann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,256), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Neumann.
Has Neumann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neumann went from 17,484 recorded bearers to 16,792. That is a decrease of 692 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,067 to #2,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Neumann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Neumann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (15,467 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neumann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Neumann (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 Neumann mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a newcomer or stranger to a settlement or community. 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 Neumann (5.62 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 Neumann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.