2000
#58,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Rullman
An occupational surname referring to a roller or maker of rolls.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 389 Americans carry the last name Rullman. That puts it at #63,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 881,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rullman 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
389
1 in 881,117
Census rank
#63,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
339
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 339 bearers of the surname Rullman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 63550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rullman
The surname RULLMAN originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Rull," which means "to roll" or "to turn." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a roller or turner of materials, such as a wheelwright or a miller.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various spellings, including Rullmann, Rullman, and Rullman. These variations were common during the Middle Ages, as spelling conventions were not yet standardized. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Hans Rullman, a miller who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the late 15th century.
The name RULLMAN is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Rullmannshausen and Rullmannsdorf. These locations likely took their names from early settlers or landowners with the surname RULLMAN.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the RULLMAN surname. In the 17th century, Johann Rullman (1610-1683) was a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious themes. Another notable bearer of this name was Friedrich Rullman (1789-1856), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works.
In the 19th century, Karl Rullman (1819-1879) was a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Philadelphia, including the Academy of Music and the Masonic Temple. His son, William Rullman (1857-1932), followed in his footsteps and became an architect as well, contributing to the design of various structures in New York City.
Another prominent figure with the RULLMAN surname was Max Rullman (1873-1944), a German-American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Rullman Manufacturing Company, which produced automotive parts, and donated generously to various charitable causes.
While these are just a few examples, the surname RULLMAN has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rullman
Among Census respondents with the surname Rullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rullman 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 Rullman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 303
- Two or more races6.5% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rullman
Rullman 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
#56,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 360
+35 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 1,687 places
2020
#63,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 339
-21 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 6,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,397 | 325 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56,710 | 360 | 0.12 | +35 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 1,687 places |
| 2020 | #63,550 | 339 | 0.11 | -21 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 6,840 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 Rullman 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 | #56,710 | #63,550 | -12.1% |
| Count | 360 | 339 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rullman bearers went from 360 to 339 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 6,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #56,710 to #63,550.
FAQ
Rullman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rullman?
Name Census estimates that about 389 living Americans carry the surname Rullman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 881,117 residents.
How common is Rullman?
Rullman ranks #63,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 339 people with the surname Rullman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (389), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Rullman.
Has Rullman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rullman went from 360 recorded bearers to 339. That is a decrease of 21 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #56,710 to #63,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Rullman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rullman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (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 Rullman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (303 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rullman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (6.5%), Hispanic (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 Rullman (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 Rullman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a roller or maker of rolls. 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 Rullman (0.11 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 Rullman?
See how common the surname Rullman is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.