2000
#12,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Pabst
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "babest," meaning "pope" or "priest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,538 Americans carry the last name Pabst. That puts it at #13,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pabst 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
2.5K
1 in 135,049
Census rank
#13,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,213 bearers of the surname Pabst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pabst, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pabst
The surname Pabst originated in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "pabst," which means "pope" or "father." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked for the church or had a close association with religious institutions.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pabst name can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions. One notable example is a reference to a certain Henricus Pabst in a document from the city of Mainz, dated 1283.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as Pabest and Pabist, in records from cities like Cologne and Frankfurt. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and scribal errors in transcribing the name.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Pabst surname was Johann Pabst, a merchant and alderman in the city of Nuremberg, who lived from approximately 1420 to 1485.
The Pabst name gained further prominence in the 16th century, with the rise of the Pabst family of brewers in the German city of Ulm. The most notable figure from this lineage was Philipp Pabst (1492-1567), a successful brewer and businessman.
Another significant figure with the Pabst surname was the German theologian and reformer Christoph Pabst (1539-1592), who played a role in the Protestant Reformation and served as a minister in various cities, including Zwickau and Chemnitz.
In the 17th century, the Pabst name appears in records from various German states, such as Saxony and Bavaria. One notable individual from this period was the Baroque composer Johann Pabst (1630-1697), known for his sacred and instrumental works.
As the Pabst family spread across Europe, the surname also found its way to other regions, such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where it was sometimes adapted to local spellings and pronunciations.
Overall, the surname Pabst has a rich history rooted in German culture and language, with connections to the religious, commercial, and artistic spheres throughout its development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pabst
Among Census respondents with the surname Pabst, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pabst 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 Pabst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 2,084
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 52
- Two or more races2.2% · 49
- Black or African American0.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pabst
Pabst 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
#13,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,338
+7 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 861 places
2020
#13,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
-125 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,248 | 2,331 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,109 | 2,338 | 0.79 | +7 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 861 places |
| 2020 | #13,221 | 2,213 | 0.74 | -125 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 112 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 Pabst 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 | #13,109 | #13,221 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,338 | 2,213 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.74 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pabst bearers went from 2,338 to 2,213 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,109 to #13,221.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pabst
FAQ
Pabst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pabst?
Name Census estimates that about 2,538 living Americans carry the surname Pabst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,049 residents.
How common is Pabst?
Pabst ranks #13,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,213 people with the surname Pabst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pabst.
Has Pabst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pabst went from 2,338 recorded bearers to 2,213. That is a decrease of 125 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,109 to #13,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Pabst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pabst, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Pabst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (2,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pabst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Pabst (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 Pabst mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "babest," meaning "pope" or "priest." 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 Pabst (0.74 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 many people have the surname Pabst?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.