The Ackerman surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 25,401 people carried this name — #1,398 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,600 people counted. That is up 2% from 24,862 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Ackerman surname

A surname originating as an occupation.

From Middle English acker (“field”) + -man. Originally denoted a farmer who did not own the fields he worked.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Ackerman» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the Acreman’.

An early record he cites: Roger le Acreman, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Ackerman, Akerman and Akermann.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 38 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 250 people named Ackerman live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Santa Fe.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Santa Fe 107
Buenos Aires Province 52
Entre Ríos 39
City of Buenos Aires 26
Córdoba 26

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 106 people named Ackerman live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in East Flanders.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

East Flanders 63
West Flanders 23
Antwerp 9
Flemish Brabant 6
Luxembourg Province 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 26 people named Ackerman.

Most of them — 15 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Nord.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 15
Nord 5
Seine-Maritime 2
Moselle 1
Bas-Rhin 1
Paris 1
Vienne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

22 people named Ackerman is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 22

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In the first U.S. census, 1790

42 families named Ackerman, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 243 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 21
New Hampshire 9
Pennsylvania 5
Massachusetts 2
Maryland 2
North Carolina 2
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 227 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Ackerman in American newspapers,
1890–1919.

Newspaper page from The Grenada Sentinel carrying the name Ackerman
The Grenada Sentinel 1890-05-03
Newspaper page from The Glasgow Courier carrying the name Ackerman
The Glasgow Courier 1918-09-27
Newspaper page from The Glasgow Courier carrying the name Ackerman
The Glasgow Courier 1919-04-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 91,685 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ackerman in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

7,433 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ackerman. The most, 2,058, date from the 1890s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 3.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,325
Tasmania 1,430
Victoria 1,264
Queensland 1,049
Western Australia 690
South Australia 584
ACT (Canberra) 76
Northern Territory 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ackerman.

Who carried it

People named Ackerman,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ernest Robinson Ackerman
    Ernest Robinson Ackerman 1863–1931 · politician
  • Al Ackerman d. 2016 · sports commentator
  • Frans Ackerman 1330–1387 · politician
  • François Ackerman 1770–1847 · priest
  • Jonathan Coombs Ackerman 1793–1852
  • James Ackerman 1813–1864 · artist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ackerman,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,474 records

4,474 records of the Ackerman name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,113
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 927
  • Other U.S. records 1,434
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Emanuel Ackerman

    Born 1918 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; messenger from Bronx County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1987, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ruwen Ackerman

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Patricia from Boulogne, aged 17; shoemaker. From Utzjany, Russia; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Roger Carl Henry Ackerman

    Born 1937; from Lowell, Wisconsin. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4,474 records for Ackerman in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Netherlands1,108 records

1,108 records of the Ackerman name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 490
  • Dutch population registers 310
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 308
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hermannus Ackerman

    Married in 1816 in Arnhem; shoemaker. Died 1870 in Arnhem, aged 80.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Wilhelmina Ackerman

    Married in 1919 in Breda. Died 1966 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Dirk Lodewijk Ackerman

    Married in 1896 in Amsterdam; "suikerwerker". Died 1938 in Hilversum, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,108 records for Ackerman in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Belgium143 records

143 records of the Ackerman name in Belgium
  • Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 142
  • Belgian population registers 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Marie Amandine Ackerman

    In the population register of Aalst; servant, born 1860 in Zele.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Aalst (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alois Ackerman

    Died 1928 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Leontine Ackerman

    Died 1913 in Kortijk.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Kortrijk (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 143 records for Ackerman in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia84 records

84 records of the Ackerman name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 53
  • Tasmanian Names Index 19
  • Other Australian records 12
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edward Ackerman

    Died 1894 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 83. Will registered in Tasmania in 1894.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Ackerman

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the James L Bogert, aged 30; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ralph Ackerman

    Retired of Marysville, Victoria; died 1978.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 84 records for Ackerman in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada63 records

63 records of the Ackerman name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 42
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 6
  • Other Canadian records 15
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Joseph Francis Ackerman

    Lost in the sinking of the Titanic, 1912, aged 44; a crew member. Body recovered and buried at Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lenora Freda Ackerman

    Buried in 1984 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 63.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Helen Faye Ackerman

    Died 1964; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 63 records for Ackerman in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France14 records

14 records of the Ackerman name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Angelica Ackerman

    Born 1901 in Romania; died 1990 in Montrouge (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Francois Ackerman

    Born 1893 in Basse-Ham; died 1976 in Basse-Ham (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 14 records for Ackerman in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Ackerman name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Susie Ackerman

    Will proved in 1926; of Greenwich, Fairfield.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jane Ackerman

    Buried in 1834 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 49.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 2 of 6 records for Ackerman in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Ackerman name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Ackerman

    From Fümmeke, Kreis Wolfenbüttel. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 16 October 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 77).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Ackerman in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Ackerman name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Ackerman

    Died 1894, aged 37; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ackerman.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ackerman is.
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