2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Patzlaff
A surname originating from the Polish language, possibly derived from a topographical location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Patzlaff. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patzlaff 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Patzlaff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patzlaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patzlaff
The surname Patzlaff is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Silesia, which is now part of modern-day Poland. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "patz," meaning a small patch or piece of land, combined with the suffix "-laff," which could refer to a person who owned or worked on such a piece of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Patzlaff name can be found in the parish records of the town of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) from the late 1500s. These records mention several individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Patzloff and Patzlaf.
In the 17th century, the Patzlaff name appeared in various historical documents from the region of Silesia, including land records and court proceedings. Some of these documents suggest that the Patzlaffs were landowners or farmers during this time period.
The earliest known notable person with the Patzlaff surname was Johannes Patzlaff, born in 1628 in the village of Oberglogau (now Głogówek, Poland). He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his name appears in several business transactions and property records from the late 17th century.
Another notable Patzlaff was Christoph Patzlaff, born in 1703 in Breslau. He was a renowned scholar and theologian, and served as a professor at the University of Breslau for many years. His works on religious philosophy and theology were widely read and influential during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Patzlaff family expanded beyond Silesia, with some members migrating to other parts of Germany and other European countries. One such individual was Friedrich Patzlaff, born in 1825 in Breslau. He was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur, and played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Germany.
Another notable Patzlaff from this period was Karl Patzlaff, born in 1857 in Breslau. He was a prominent architect and urban planner, and his designs can still be seen in many buildings and public spaces in cities across Germany and Poland.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some members of the Patzlaff family emigrated to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One such individual was Wilhelm Patzlaff, born in 1871 in Breslau, who settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became a successful businessman and community leader.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patzlaff
Among Census respondents with the surname Patzlaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Patzlaff 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 Patzlaff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patzlaff
Patzlaff 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,220 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,220 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,608 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 Patzlaff 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 | #143,149 | #145,757 | -1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 115 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patzlaff bearers went from 116 to 115 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,757.
FAQ
Patzlaff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patzlaff?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Patzlaff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Patzlaff?
Patzlaff ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Patzlaff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Patzlaff.
Has Patzlaff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patzlaff went from 116 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Patzlaff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patzlaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (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 Patzlaff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patzlaff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Black (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 Patzlaff (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 Patzlaff mean?
A surname originating from the Polish language, possibly derived from a topographical location. 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 Patzlaff (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 have the surname Patzlaff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.