Acker comes from German or Old English, meaning "ploughed field"; it is related to or an alternate spelling of the word acre.[1][2] Therefore, Ackermann means "ploughman". Ackerman is also a common Ashkenazi Jewish surname of Yiddish origin with the same meaning. The Ashkenazi surname Ackerman sometimes refers to the town of Akkerman in Bessarabia, south-west of Odessa.[3]
- Allan Ackerman, American magician
- Bettye Ackerman (1924–2006), American actress
- Chad Ackerman (born 1983), American rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and artist
- Leslie Ackerman (born 1956), American actress
- Loni Ackerman (born 1949), American musical theatre actress
- Malin Åkerman (born 1978), Swedish-American actress, model and singer
- Shelley Ackerman (1953–2020), American astrologer and actress
- Tracy Ackerman, British singer and songwriter
- William Ackerman (born 1949), American guitarist, composer, and founder of Windham Hill Records
- Willie Ackerman (1939–2012), American drummer
- George W. Ackerman (1884–1962), American photographer
- Gordon Ackerman, American journalist and photographer
- Richard Ackerman, American natural and landscape photographer
- Alf Ackerman (1929–1988), South African footballer
- Don Ackerman (1930–2011), American basketball player
- Graham Ackerman (born 1983), American gymnast
- H. D. Ackerman (born 1973), South African cricketer
- Hylton Ackerman (1947–2009), South African cricketer
- Marques Ackerman (born 1996), South African first-class cricketer
- Rick Ackerman (born 1959), American football player
- T. J. Ackerman (born 1975), former Canadian football offensive tackle
- Tom Ackerman (born 1972), American football player
- Tom Ackerman (basketball), American basketball player and coach
- Tony Ackerman (born 1984), English former professional footballer
- Travis Ackerman (born 1999), South African cricketer
- Tusten Ackerman (1901–1997), American basketball player
- Val Ackerman (born 1959), American attorney, sports executive, and basketball player
- Andrea Ackerman, American artist, theorist and writer
- Blaster Al Ackerman (1939–2013), American mail artist and writer
- Carl W. Ackerman (1890–1970), American journalist and author
- Caroline Iverson Ackerman (1918-2012), American aviator, journalist, reporter and educator
- Diane Ackerman (born 1948), American author, poet, and naturalist
- Elliot Ackerman (born 1980), American author
- Felicia Nimue Ackerman (born 1947), American author, poet, and philosopher
- Forrest J Ackerman (1916–2008), American science fiction writer and editor
- Jennifer Ackerman (born 1959), American nature writer
- Joanne Leedom-Ackerman (born 1947), American novelist, short story writer and journalist
- Karen Ackerman (born 1951), American children's author
- Marianne Ackerman (born 1952), Canadian playwright, novelist, and journalist
- Peter Ackerman (playwright), American playwright, actor, and screenwriter