2000
#13,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Pelzer
An occupational surname referring to a furrier or pelt processor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,315 Americans carry the last name Pelzer. That puts it at #14,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pelzer 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
2.3K
1 in 148,058
Census rank
#14,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,019 bearers of the surname Pelzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pelzer
The surname Pelzer originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the German word "pelz," which means "fur" or "pelt." This suggests that the name was likely associated with someone who worked in the fur trade or the production of fur garments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pelzer can be found in the town of Lübeck, located in northern Germany, where a merchant named Johann Pelzer was listed in records from the 14th century. The name also appears in various historical documents from other regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans Pelzer was a prominent merchant and councilman in the city of Nuremberg. He is mentioned in several chronicles and municipal records from that time period.
During the 16th century, the Pelzer family became well-established in the Rhineland region of Germany. One notable member was Konrad Pelzer, a wealthy landowner and businessman who lived in Cologne from 1528 to 1596.
As the Pelzer family dispersed throughout different parts of Europe over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, such as Peltzer, Pelzer, Peltser, and Peltscher. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or regional variations in pronunciation.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Pelzer (1720-1792) was a renowned German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prussian King Frederick the Great.
Another notable figure with the surname Pelzer was Wilhelm Pelzer (1865-1934), a German painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes. His works are held in various museums and private collections across Germany and Europe.
Overall, the surname Pelzer has a rich history rooted in medieval Germany, with connections to the fur trade, commerce, and the arts. While the name has evolved and spread across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the German word "pelz" and its association with the production and trade of fur garments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pelzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pelzer 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 Pelzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.3% · 996
- Black or African American43.8% · 884
- Two or more races4.0% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pelzer
Pelzer 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
#13,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,183
+100 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 438 places
2020
#14,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
-164 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,407 | 2,083 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,845 | 2,183 | 0.74 | +100 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 438 places |
| 2020 | #14,273 | 2,019 | 0.68 | -164 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 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 Pelzer 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 | #13,845 | #14,273 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,183 | 2,019 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.68 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pelzer bearers went from 2,183 to 2,019 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 428 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,845 to #14,273.
FAQ
Pelzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pelzer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,315 living Americans carry the surname Pelzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,058 residents.
How common is Pelzer?
Pelzer ranks #14,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,019 people with the surname Pelzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pelzer.
Has Pelzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pelzer went from 2,183 recorded bearers to 2,019. That is a decrease of 164 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,845 to #14,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Pelzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pelzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.3% (996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pelzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.3%), Black (43.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pelzer (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 Pelzer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a furrier or pelt processor. 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 Pelzer (0.68 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 Pelzer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.