2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Passauer
A surname derived from the German city of Passau, likely denoting a person's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Passauer. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Passauer 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Passauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Passauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Passauer
The surname Passauer is of German origin, originating in the Bavarian region of Germany during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German city of Passau, which lies at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers. The name Passau itself is believed to come from the Latin "Batavis," referring to the Batavi, a Germanic tribe that inhabited the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Passauer can be found in the Codex Traditionum Antiquissimus, a 9th-century manuscript from the Passau monastery, which mentions a person named "Passawarius." This suggests that the surname was already in use by the 9th century, likely referring to someone who hailed from or was associated with the city of Passau.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Ulrich Passauer was mentioned in the Bavarian Annals as a prominent scholar and theologian. He was born around 1220 in Passau and served as the Bishop of Passau from 1285 until his death in 1301.
During the 14th century, a German knight named Konrad Passauer was recorded as participating in the Crusades to the Holy Land. He was born in Passau around 1320 and fought alongside the Teutonic Knights in their campaigns in the region.
In the 16th century, a renowned goldsmith and engraver named Hans Passauer lived and worked in Nuremberg, Germany. He was born in Passau around 1490 and is known for his intricate and highly detailed metal engravings, many of which can be found in museums across Europe.
Another notable figure with the surname Passauer was Johann Passauer, a German composer and organist who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in Passau in 1575 and is best known for his sacred choral works and organ compositions, which were widely performed in churches throughout Germany during his lifetime.
While the surname Passauer is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and is closely tied to the city of Passau and the surrounding Bavarian region. The name has been borne by scholars, knights, artists, and musicians throughout the centuries, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations of those who have carried this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Passauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Passauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Passauer 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 Passauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Passauer
Passauer 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+18 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,107 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-20 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,277 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 8,107 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 18,277 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 Passauer 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 | #134,712 | #152,989 | -13.6% |
| Count | 125 | 105 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Passauer bearers went from 125 to 105 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 18,277 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Passauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Passauer?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Passauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Passauer?
Passauer ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Passauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Passauer.
Has Passauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Passauer went from 125 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Passauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Passauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Passauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Passauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Passauer (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 Passauer mean?
A surname derived from the German city of Passau, likely denoting a person's place of origin. 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 Passauer (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 share the surname Passauer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.