2000
#17,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,464
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Portman
A locational surname referring to one from any of various places called Portman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,912 Americans carry the last name Portman. That puts it at #16,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 179,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Portman 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 Portman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 179,265
Census rank
#16,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,667 bearers of the surname Portman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Portman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Portman
The surname Portman originated in England, and it is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "port," meaning a gate or entrance, and "mann," referring to a man or person. It is thought that the name was initially given as an occupational surname to gatekeepers or porters who guarded the entrances to towns, castles, or other fortified locations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Portman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1195, which mention a person named William Portman. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Portman in various counties across England.
In the 14th century, the Portman family established themselves as prominent landowners in Somerset, where they held the manor of Orchard Portman. Sir William Portman (c. 1495-1557), who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1555 to 1557, was a notable member of this family.
The Portman name has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Portman Square in London, which was developed in the 18th century on land owned by the Portman family. The Portman Estate in Marylebone, London, was also named after this influential family.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Portman. One of the earliest was Sir John Portman (c. 1395-1457), a wealthy merchant and member of Parliament from Somerset. Sir William Portman (c. 1643-1690) was a prominent English politician and MP who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1677 to 1689.
In more recent times, Natalie Portman (born 1981) is a famous American actress who has won an Academy Award and has starred in numerous critically acclaimed films. Sir Manny Portman (1836-1888) was a British businessman and philanthropist who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1886-1887.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Portman
Among Census respondents with the surname Portman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Portman 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 Portman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 1,453
- Two or more races4.3% · 72
- Black or African American3.5% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Portman
Portman 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
#17,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,621
+157 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 265 places
2020
#16,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,667
+46 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 718 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,671 | 1,464 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,406 | 1,621 | 0.55 | +157 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 265 places |
| 2020 | #16,688 | 1,667 | 0.56 | +46 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 718 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 Portman 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 | #17,406 | #16,688 | 4.1% |
| Count | 1,621 | 1,667 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.56 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Portman bearers went from 1,621 to 1,667 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 718 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,406 to #16,688.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Portman
FAQ
Portman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Portman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,912 living Americans carry the surname Portman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 179,265 residents.
How common is Portman?
Portman ranks #16,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 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 1,667 people with the surname Portman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,912), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 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 Portman.
Has Portman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Portman went from 1,621 recorded bearers to 1,667. That is an increase of 46 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,406 to #16,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Portman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Portman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Portman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (1,453 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Portman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (3.5%). 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 Portman (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 Portman mean?
A locational surname referring to one from any of various places called Portman. 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 Portman (0.56 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 common is the surname Portman?
Want to know how many people have the surname Portman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.