2000
#5,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,282
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Pfaff
A German occupational surname referring to a clergyman or priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,005 Americans carry the last name Pfaff. That puts it at #5,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pfaff 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
7.0K
1 in 48,930
Census rank
#5,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,109 bearers of the surname Pfaff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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the name date back to the 13th century, with mentions of individuals named "Pfaffe" or "Pfaffen" appearing in various historical documents from German-speaking regions.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pfaff
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pfaff 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 Pfaff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 5,665
- Two or more races3.2% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 52
- Black or African American0.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pfaff
Pfaff 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
#5,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,331
+49 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 369 places
2020
#5,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,109
-222 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,129 | 6,282 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,498 | 6,331 | 2.15 | +49 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 369 places |
| 2020 | #5,495 | 6,109 | 2.04 | -222 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 3 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 Pfaff 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 | #5,498 | #5,495 | 0.1% |
| Count | 6,331 | 6,109 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.04 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pfaff bearers went from 6,331 to 6,109 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,498 to #5,495.
FAQ
Pfaff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pfaff?
Name Census estimates that about 7,005 living Americans carry the surname Pfaff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,930 residents.
How common is Pfaff?
Pfaff ranks #5,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,109 people with the surname Pfaff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,005), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pfaff.
Has Pfaff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pfaff went from 6,331 recorded bearers to 6,109. That is a decrease of 222 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,498 to #5,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Pfaff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Pfaff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (5,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pfaff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Pfaff (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 Pfaff mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a clergyman or priest. 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 Pfaff (2.04 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 are called Pfaff?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Pfaff at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.