2000
#3,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.69
Uncommon Last name
Pfeifer
An occupational surname referring to a musician who played the fife, a small transverse flute.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,281 Americans carry the last name Pfeifer. That puts it at #3,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,383 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pfeifer 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
11K
1 in 30,383
Census rank
#3,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,838 bearers of the surname Pfeifer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfeifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pfeifer
The surname PFEIFER is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "pfifer" meaning "piper" or "flute player". This occupational surname emerged in the 13th century, referring to individuals who played wind instruments, particularly the pipe or flute.
The earliest recorded instances of the PFEIFER surname can be traced back to the late medieval period in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, including town registers and tax rolls, have documented individuals bearing this surname.
One notable early reference to the PFEIFER name is in the Heidelberg Chronicles, a 15th-century manuscript that chronicles the history of the city of Heidelberg. It mentions a certain Hans Pfeifer, who served as a town piper in the year 1476.
In the 16th century, the PFEIFER surname gained prominence with the rise of the Pfeifer family of Nuremberg, a respected lineage of musicians and instrument makers. The most renowned member of this family was Hans Pfeifer (1493-1568), a highly skilled lutenist and vihuela player who served at the court of Emperor Charles V.
Another notable figure bearing the PFEIFER surname was Johann Baptist Pfeifer (1667-1736), a German composer and violinist who worked in the court of the Elector of Bavaria. His compositions, particularly his violin sonatas, were highly acclaimed during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the name PFEIFER was further documented in various regions of Germany, as well as in areas where German immigrants had settled. One prominent individual was August Pfeifer (1808-1892), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in New York City, including the Old Chicago Post Office and the Astor Opera House.
The PFEIFER surname also has a presence in other German-speaking regions, such as Austria and Switzerland. In the 20th century, Theodor Pfeifer (1901-1983), an Austrian architect, gained recognition for his work on several notable projects, including the Austrian Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair.
Throughout its history, the PFEIFER surname has maintained its association with music and the arts, reflecting its occupational origins as a name bestowed upon skilled musicians and pipers. While the name has dispersed across various regions and countries, its German heritage and connection to the world of music remain an integral part of its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pfeifer
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfeifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pfeifer 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 Pfeifer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 8,995
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 351
- Two or more races2.8% · 274
- Black or African American1.2% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pfeifer
Pfeifer 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
#3,533
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,109
+146 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 3.43
Rank movement Down 231 places
2020
#3,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,838
-271 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,302 | 9,963 | 3.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,533 | 10,109 | 3.43 | +146 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 231 places |
| 2020 | #3,540 | 9,838 | 3.29 | -271 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 7 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 Pfeifer 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 | #3,533 | #3,540 | -0.2% |
| Count | 10,109 | 9,838 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.43 | 3.29 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pfeifer bearers went from 10,109 to 9,838 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,533 to #3,540.
FAQ
Pfeifer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pfeifer?
Name Census estimates that about 11,281 living Americans carry the surname Pfeifer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,383 residents.
How common is Pfeifer?
Pfeifer ranks #3,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,838 people with the surname Pfeifer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pfeifer.
Has Pfeifer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pfeifer went from 10,109 recorded bearers to 9,838. That is a decrease of 271 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,533 to #3,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Pfeifer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfeifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Pfeifer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (8,995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pfeifer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Pfeifer (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 Pfeifer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a musician who played the fife, a small transverse flute. 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 Pfeifer (3.29 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 have the last name Pfeifer?
If you just want to know how many people are called Pfeifer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.