Altman
A surname that usually began as a German name meaning “old man” or “elder,” though in England it was sometimes linked to place-names and local forms.
The #2,217 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,771 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is most straightforwardly explained from German Altmann, built from the element alt, meaning “old,” plus man, “man.” In that sense it originally meant something like “old man” or, more loosely, “elder.” Some English references also connect Altman with place-name or local-name forms, so in English usage it may sometimes have been influenced by or confused with local surnames rather than coming from a single source.
History
Historical surname dictionaries record Altman as a German family name and also note early medieval forms such as Aldman/Aldmon in Anglo-Saxon contexts. In later centuries it spread into English-speaking countries, often through German immigration and Anglicized spelling. The name is relatively uncommon in the United States, where it is present but not especially frequent.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname scholars grouped Altman alongside other old Germanic names built with alt- / ald-, a family of forms associated with age or seniority.
From the historical record
“Altman. A.S. Ealdman (old man) G. Altmann ; a p.n. Alton. A loc. n., Staffs.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)Notable people named Altman
- Sam Altman (b. 1985)
- Robert Altman (1925–2006)
- Sidney Altman (1939–2022)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.