Find out how popular the last name Pankratz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pankratz.

Pankratz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pankratz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pankratz in America

Pankratz is the 12435th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pankratz surname appeared 2,498 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pankratz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pankratz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pankratz

The surname Pankratz is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "Pank" meaning "bench" and "Kratz" meaning "to scratch or scrape." This suggests that the name may have originated from an occupation or trade related to woodworking or carpentry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pankratz can be found in the Hirsau Codex, a 12th-century manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This codex contains a list of names, including Pankratz, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.

The name Pankratz has been associated with various locations in Germany, such as Pankraz, a village in the district of Amberg-Sulzbach, Bavaria, and Pankratzberg, a mountain in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. These place names may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname.

One notable individual with the surname Pankratz was Johann Pankratz (1472-1533), a German Renaissance scholar and humanist who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another famous bearer of the name was Johann Pankratz von Freyberg (1673-1733), a German architect and engineer known for his work on the construction of the Zwinger Palace in Dresden.

In the 16th century, the surname Pankratz appeared in various records, including the Kirchenbücher (church books) of several German towns and villages. For example, the birth of Hans Pankratz was recorded in the Kirchenbuch of Wörlitz, Saxony-Anhalt, in 1568.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Pankratz was also found in various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Poland. One notable individual from this period was Bartholomäus Pankratz (1647-1704), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg.

In the 19th century, the surname Pankratz continued to be prominent in Germany, with individuals such as Karl Friedrich Pankratz (1821-1898), a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) from 1871 to 1874.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pankratz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pankratz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pankratz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pankratz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pankratz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pankratz, please contact us.

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