Find out how popular the last name Pfaff is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pfaff.

Pfaff, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pfaff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pfaff in America

Pfaff is the 5498th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pfaff surname appeared 6,331 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Pfaff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pfaff to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pfaff

The surname "PFAFF" originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "pfaffe," which means "cleric" or "priest." The name likely referred to someone who worked in the church or was closely associated with the clergy.

The earliest known records of the name date back to the 13th century, with mentions of individuals named "Pfaffe" or "Pfaffen" appearing in various historical documents from German-speaking regions. One notable early reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, which includes a record from 1284 mentioning a "Conradus dictus Pfaffe."

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Marburger Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical records from the city of Marburg, Hesse. Here, a "Henricus Pfaffe" is mentioned in a document from 1340. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, a vast collection of historical sources from the German-speaking lands.

Over time, the name "Pfaffe" evolved into the more common spelling "Pfaff." One of the earliest known individuals with this spelling was Johannes Pfaff, a German theologian and professor who lived from 1535 to 1612. Another notable bearer of the name was Christoph Matthäus Pfaff (1686-1760), a German jurist and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen.

Other individuals of historical significance with the surname "Pfaff" include:

1. Johann Friedrich Pfaff (1765-1825), a German mathematician and astronomer.
2. Johann Wilhelm Pfaff (1775-1825), a German chemist and physician.
3. Johann Benjamin Pfaff (1785-1825), a German botanist and entomologist.
4. Kuno Pfaff (1857-1920), a German theologian and philosopher.
5. Christoph Heinrich Pfaff (1773-1852), a German poet and writer.

While the name "Pfaff" has its roots in the German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, the core meaning and historical significance of the surname remain tied to its origins in medieval Germany and its association with the clergy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pfaff

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pfaff.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pfaff was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pfaff has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pfaff was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pfaff, please contact us.

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