2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pechmann
A Germanic surname derived from an occupational name for a maker of pitch or tar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Pechmann. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pechmann 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Pechmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pechmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pechmann
The surname Pechmann is of German origin, originating from the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. The name dates back to the 12th century and is believed to be derived from the Old German word "pech," meaning "pitch" or "tar." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been involved in the production or trade of these materials.
The Pechmann name has been recorded in various historical documents throughout the centuries. One of the earliest known references can be found in the medieval "Codex Traditionum Monasterii Reichenbacensis," a collection of charters and deeds from the Reichenbach Abbey in Bavaria, where a "Cunradus Pechman" is mentioned in the year 1188.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named "Heinricus Pechmann" was documented as a witness in a legal dispute involving the Benedictine Abbey of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, Bavaria, in the year 1247. This record provides evidence of the Pechmann family's presence in the region during this period.
One notable bearer of the Pechmann name was Johannes Pechmann, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1513 to 1587. He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and made significant contributions to the field of astronomy, publishing several works on planetary motion and celestial observations.
Another prominent figure was Hans Pechmann, a German chemist who lived from 1850 to 1919. He is best known for the Pechmann condensation reaction, a method for synthesizing coumarins and their derivatives, which bears his name in recognition of his pioneering work in organic chemistry.
In the 19th century, the Pechmann name was also associated with the town of Pechmann, now known as Pechmann am Schliersee, located in the district of Miesbach in Upper Bavaria. This town's name, derived from the surname, suggests that the Pechmann family may have played a significant role in the area's history or settlement.
Throughout the centuries, the Pechmann surname has undergone various spellings, such as Pechman, Pechmannus, and Pechmanus, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic evolution of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pechmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Pechmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pechmann 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 Pechmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 109
- Two or more races6.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pechmann
Pechmann 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+3 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,467 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-21 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,719 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 5,467 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 19,719 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 Pechmann 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 | #121,590 | #141,309 | -16.2% |
| Count | 142 | 121 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pechmann bearers went from 142 to 121 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 19,719 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #141,309.
FAQ
Pechmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pechmann?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Pechmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Pechmann?
Pechmann ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Pechmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Pechmann.
Has Pechmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pechmann went from 142 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 21 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Pechmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pechmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Pechmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pechmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (6.6%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Pechmann (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 Pechmann mean?
A Germanic surname derived from an occupational name for a maker of pitch or tar. 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 Pechmann (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 Pechmann?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.