2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pfaeffle
A German surname derived from the word "Pfaffe" meaning priest, clergyman, or cleric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Pfaeffle. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pfaeffle 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Pfaeffle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfaeffle, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pfaeffle
The surname Pfaeffle is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century in the southern regions of present-day Germany. It is believed to have derived from the medieval German word "pfeffel," which translates to "pepper." This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals involved in the cultivation, trade, or use of pepper or spices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pfaeffle can be found in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the region of Württemberg, Germany. In an entry dated 1382, a certain "Hannsen Pfeffel" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Esslingen.
During the late 15th century, variants of the name, such as "Pfeffele" and "Pfefferle," appeared in various records from the cities of Augsburg and Nuremberg. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and scribal practices at the time.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Pfaeffle (1510-1572), a renowned Lutheran theologian and reformer from Augsburg. His contributions to the Protestant Reformation and his published works on theology and ethics helped establish the Pfaeffle name in scholarly circles.
Another notable figure bearing the surname was Johann Friedrich Pfaeffle (1697-1769), a German jurist and legal scholar from Württemberg. He authored several influential treatises on civil and criminal law, which were widely studied throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
The Pfaeffle name also found its way into the arts, with Christian Friedrich Pfaeffle (1781-1844), a respected painter and lithographer from Stuttgart. His intricate landscape paintings and engravings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region gained him recognition in artistic circles of the time.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Pfaeffle (1825-1897), a German-American brewer and entrepreneur, made significant contributions to the brewing industry in the United States. After emigrating from Württemberg, he established the Pfaeffle Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri, which became one of the largest and most successful breweries in the region.
Throughout its history, the surname Pfaeffle has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. While its origins may be rooted in the spice trade, the name has since been associated with individuals from diverse professions and backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pfaeffle
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfaeffle, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pfaeffle 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 Pfaeffle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino27.2% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pfaeffle
Pfaeffle 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+12 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,024 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 3,024 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 8,962 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 Pfaeffle 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 | #145,220 | #154,182 | -6.2% |
| Count | 114 | 103 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pfaeffle bearers went from 114 to 103 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 8,962 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,182.
FAQ
Pfaeffle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pfaeffle?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Pfaeffle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Pfaeffle?
Pfaeffle ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Pfaeffle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pfaeffle.
Has Pfaeffle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pfaeffle went from 114 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Pfaeffle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfaeffle, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.2%). 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 Pfaeffle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pfaeffle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Hispanic (27.2%). 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 Pfaeffle (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 Pfaeffle mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Pfaffe" meaning priest, clergyman, or cleric. 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 Pfaeffle (0.03 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 Pfaeffle?
Want to know how many people have the last name Pfaeffle? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.