2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Auffert
A German surname referring to someone who lived at or near a ferry landing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Auffert. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Auffert surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Auffert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Auffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Auffert
The surname AUFFERT is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Auffert," which was a variation of the name "Auffahrt," meaning "ascent" or "rise." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a hillside or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name AUFFERT can be found in the parish records of the town of Memmingen, located in the Bavarian region of Germany. In the year 1563, a certain Hans Auffert was listed as a resident of the town, working as a blacksmith.
In the 17th century, the name AUFFERT began to appear in various historical documents throughout southern Germany. For instance, a Johann Auffert is mentioned in the records of the city of Ulm in 1634, where he is listed as a merchant and landowner.
As the centuries progressed, the AUFFERT family spread across various parts of Germany, with some members eventually migrating to other countries in Europe and beyond. One notable figure bearing this surname was Friedrich Auffert (1832-1901), a German writer and philosopher who was born in the town of Osterode am Harz.
Another individual of note was Karl Auffert (1856-1919), a German architect who was responsible for the design of several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was completed in 1895.
In the 20th century, the name AUFFERT gained recognition in the field of academia with the likes of Hans Auffert (1905-1983), a German historian and professor who specialized in the study of the Middle Ages and the Reformation period.
It is worth noting that while the surname AUFFERT originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, the name remains most prevalent in its homeland, where it continues to be a part of the country's rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Auffert
Among Census respondents with the surname Auffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Auffert bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Auffert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 116
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Auffert
Auffert appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+10 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 244 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,456 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 244 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,456 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Auffert surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #135,593 | #142,049 | -4.8% |
| Count | 124 | 120 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Auffert bearers went from 124 to 120 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,456 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #142,049.
FAQ
Auffert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Auffert?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Auffert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Auffert?
Auffert ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Auffert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Auffert.
Has Auffert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Auffert went from 124 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Auffert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Auffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Auffert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Auffert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Auffert (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Auffert mean?
A German surname referring to someone who lived at or near a ferry landing. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Auffert (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Auffert?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Auffert, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.