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Tilman
How to Pronounce Tilman
Pronounced TIL-muhn /ˈtɪlmən/Medium
Meaning: Tilman is a German surname and given name with two readings. It can be occupational, from tillen or a related word linked to tilling and farming the land, giving the sense 'one who tills'. It is also read as a medieval pet form of Dietrich, from Germanic elements meaning 'people' and 'ruler'. American families of German descent carried it as a first name, keeping either the earthy 'tiller' sense or the 'people's ruler' pedigree.Low
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
Tilman is a German name that American families of German heritage adopted, especially in the Midwest and South. It is understood either as an occupational surname for a tiller of the soil or as an old diminutive of Dietrich, 'ruler of the people'. Either way it has a solid, working, distinctly Germanic character passed down through immigrant lines.
Tilman was always uncommon in America, drawing only a couple dozen boys a year even at its high around the nineteen-twenties. A boy named Tilman then belongs to a great-grandfather's generation now. It reads as a sturdy old German-American surname-name rather than a nursery favourite, and it stays firmly rare today.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Tilman mean?
It is a German name meaning 'one who tills' the land, or a pet form of Dietrich, 'ruler of the people'.
How do you pronounce Tilman?
It's said TIL-muhn /ˈtɪlmən/, two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Tilman a boy or girl name?
Tilman is used as a boy's name.
Is Tilman a popular name?
No, it has always been rare, a German-American surname-name seen in small numbers in the early twentieth century.