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Newman
Pronounced NOO-mun /ˈnuː.mən/High
Meaning: From the English surname Newman, from Middle English 'newe man' — a newcomer to a village or estate. It is one of the plainest and most transparent of English surnames, and it has moved into occasional first-name use in the modern surname-name fashion.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Newman is an English surname from Middle English 'newe man' — the newcomer, the person recently settled in a place. Surnames like this were descriptive before they were hereditary, and Newman has long been common across England. Its move into first-name use follows the wider American taste for surname-names (said 'NOO-mun').
As a first name it appears only rarely in the U.S. Rare, plain-spoken, and surname-strong.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Newman mean?
Newman is an English surname meaning 'newcomer' — the new man in a village.
How do you pronounce Newman?
It's said NOO-mun /ˈnuː.mən/ — two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Newman a boy or girl name?
Newman is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Newman?
Newman is a rare first name for boys in the U.S.