[3] It is named for William K. Ackerman, President of the Illinois Central Railroad 1877-1883.

[4] Ackerman is located in southeast of the present-day center of Choctaw County.

Mississippi Highway 12 passes through the northwest corner of the town, leading northeast 24 miles (39 km) to Starkville, where Mississippi State University is located and southwest 31 miles (50 km) to Kosciusko.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,594 people, 611 households, and 345 families residing in the town.

37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.