2000
#72,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Ollman
A Scandinavian surname derived from a personal name meaning "forefather" or "ancestor".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 247 Americans carry the last name Ollman. That puts it at #91,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,387,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ollman 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
247
1 in 1,387,669
Census rank
#91,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
215
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 215 bearers of the surname Ollman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ollman
The surname OLLMAN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has changed spelling over time.
One theory suggests that the name OLLMAN may have its roots in the Old English words "oll" or "olle," meaning "ridge" or "hill," and "mann," meaning "man." This would indicate that the name may have referred to someone who lived on or near a ridge or hill.
Another possibility is that the name is a variant spelling of the surname HOLLMAN, which is derived from the Old English word "hol," meaning "hollow" or "valley." In this case, the name OLLMAN would have referred to someone who lived in a hollow or valley.
While there are no definitive historical records mentioning the surname OLLMAN, it is likely that the name emerged in various regions of England during the Middle Ages. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include:
1. John Ollman, born circa 1520 in Wiltshire, England.
2. William Ollman, born in 1567 in Gloucestershire, England.
3. Robert Ollman, born in 1602 in Oxfordshire, England.
It is worth noting that the spelling of surnames was often inconsistent during this time period, and variants such as OLEMAN, OLMAN, and OLLEMAN may have been used interchangeably with OLLMAN.
One notable individual with the surname OLLMAN was Sir John Ollman (1660-1738), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Berkshire, England. He was instrumental in the development of trade routes and played a significant role in the economic growth of the region.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Ollman (1725-1798), a renowned botanist and author from Yorkshire, England. She published several influential works on the flora and fauna of the British Isles.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the OLLMAN surname began to spread beyond England as individuals emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ollman
Among Census respondents with the surname Ollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ollman 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 Ollman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 206
- Two or more races1.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 3
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ollman
Ollman 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
#85,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
-29 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 12,452 places
2020
#91,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 215
-4 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,527 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,905 | 248 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,357 | 219 | 0.07 | -29 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 12,452 places |
| 2020 | #91,884 | 215 | 0.07 | -4 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 6,527 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 Ollman 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 | #85,357 | #91,884 | -7.6% |
| Count | 219 | 215 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ollman bearers went from 219 to 215 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 6,527 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,357 to #91,884.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ollman
FAQ
Ollman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ollman?
Name Census estimates that about 247 living Americans carry the surname Ollman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,387,669 residents.
How common is Ollman?
Ollman ranks #91,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 215 people with the surname Ollman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ollman.
Has Ollman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ollman went from 219 recorded bearers to 215. That is a decrease of 4 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,357 to #91,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Ollman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Ollman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ollman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Ollman (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 Ollman mean?
A Scandinavian surname derived from a personal name meaning "forefather" or "ancestor". 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 Ollman (0.07 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 are called Ollman?
You can see how common the surname Ollman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.