Newman
Newman is an English-language surname of Germanic Anglo-Saxon origins. Newman is the modern English form of the name used in Great Britain and among people of British ancestry around the world, while Neumann is used in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and to some degree in The Netherlands and Belgium.
Meaning & Origin of Newman
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Newman is an English-language surname of Germanic Anglo-Saxon origins. Newman is the modern English form of the name used in Great Britain and among people of British ancestry around the world, while Neumann is used in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and to some degree in The Netherlands and Belgium.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Newman
Newman first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1882, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1921: 67 births, good for #843 nationwide. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 23% of all recorded Newmans. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 2K Newmans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Newman
Phonetically similar names — useful when Newman is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Newman
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About the name Newman
Newman is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Newman's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #843. Use the chart and map above to compare Newman's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1921 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.