2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pansch
A Germanic surname derived from a pet form of the given name "Pankratius".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Pansch. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pansch 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Pansch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pansch, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pansch
The surname Pansch is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Panse," which means "belly" or "paunch," referring to a person's physical appearance. Alternatively, it may have roots in the Low German word "Pansk," meaning "rotten" or "spoiled," potentially describing someone's temperament or behavior.
Early mentions of the name can be found in various historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, including church registers and town chronicles from various regions of Germany. One notable example is the mention of a Johann Pansch in the records of the town of Lübeck, dated around 1580.
The Pansch surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Peter Pansch (1657-1718) was a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Hanover. Johann Gottlieb Pansch (1751-1833) was a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on the interpretation of the Bible.
In the 19th century, Carl Heinrich Pansch (1816-1887) was a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives. Another individual of note was Wilhelm Pansch (1871-1942), a German architect known for his work in the Art Nouveau style, including the design of several residential and commercial buildings in Berlin.
More recently, Armin Pansch (1920-1988) was a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, who served as a member of the Bundestag from 1965 to 1987.
While the name Pansch may have originated from descriptive roots, it has since become a well-established surname with a presence throughout Germany and beyond, carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, politicians, and more.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pansch
Among Census respondents with the surname Pansch, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pansch 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 Pansch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 115
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pansch
Pansch 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,501 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-14 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,501 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 14,418 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 Pansch 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 | #130,610 | #145,028 | -11.0% |
| Count | 130 | 116 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pansch bearers went from 130 to 116 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 14,418 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #145,028.
FAQ
Pansch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pansch?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Pansch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Pansch?
Pansch ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Pansch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Pansch.
Has Pansch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pansch went from 130 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Pansch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pansch, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Pansch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pansch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Pansch (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 Pansch mean?
A Germanic surname derived from a pet form of the given name "Pankratius". 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 Pansch (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 many people are called Pansch?
You can see how common the surname Pansch is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.