2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pannebecker
A Dutch surname derived from "panne" meaning a small pan or plate and "bakker" meaning baker, referring to an occupation baking small pastries or dishes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Pannebecker. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pannebecker 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Pannebecker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannebecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pannebecker
The surname Pannebecker originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the German words "panne" meaning "pan" or "container," and "becker" meaning "baker." This suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname for someone who baked bread or pastries using pans or containers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pannebecker can be found in a medieval document from the city of Hamburg, dated 1387. This document mentions a merchant named Hans Pannebecker, who was engaged in trade with the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League was a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns that dominated trade in Northern Europe from the 13th to the 17th century.
In the 16th century, the name Pannebecker appeared in records from the town of Lübeck, another prominent member of the Hanseatic League. A notable figure from this time was Johann Pannebecker (1501-1575), a respected lawyer and city councilor in Lübeck. He played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements and resolving disputes between the city and other Hanseatic towns.
The Pannebecker name can also be traced back to the town of Hameln, famous for the legend of the Pied Piper. Records from the 17th century mention a family of bakers named Pannebecker who were prominent citizens in the town. One member of this family, Christoph Pannebecker (1628-1691), served as the mayor of Hameln for several years.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Georg Pannebecker (1717-1789) was a respected scholar and theologian from the city of Göttingen. He authored several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Göttingen, which was a leading center of learning during the Enlightenment period.
Another prominent individual with the surname Pannebecker was Johann Friedrich Pannebecker (1782-1843), a German author and poet from the city of Hannover. He is best known for his romantic poetry and his contributions to the literary movement known as the "Göttinger Dichterbund" (Göttingen Poet's Circle).
Throughout its history, the surname Pannebecker has maintained strong connections to various regions of Germany, particularly in the northern cities and towns that were once part of the Hanseatic League. While the name has evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the occupation of baking and the use of pans or containers in that trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pannebecker
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannebecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pannebecker 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 Pannebecker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pannebecker
Pannebecker 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-8 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,793 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-20 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 14,793 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 17,428 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 Pannebecker 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 | #137,327 | #154,755 | -12.7% |
| Count | 122 | 102 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pannebecker bearers went from 122 to 102 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 17,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #154,755.
FAQ
Pannebecker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pannebecker?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Pannebecker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Pannebecker?
Pannebecker ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Pannebecker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pannebecker.
Has Pannebecker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pannebecker went from 122 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Pannebecker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannebecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Pannebecker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pannebecker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Pannebecker (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 Pannebecker mean?
A Dutch surname derived from "panne" meaning a small pan or plate and "bakker" meaning baker, referring to an occupation baking small pastries or dishes. 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 Pannebecker (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Pannebecker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.