2000
#11,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,504
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Pfeil
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to an arrow-maker or fletcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,768 Americans carry the last name Pfeil. That puts it at #12,301 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,827 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pfeil 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
2.8K
1 in 123,827
Census rank
#12,301
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,414 bearers of the surname Pfeil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12301st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfeil, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pfeil
The surname Pfeil originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Pfeil," meaning "arrow" or "bolt," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational name for an arrow maker or fletcher.
The earliest known record of the Pfeil surname dates back to the 15th century, appearing in various medieval documents and records from various parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable early mention of the name can be found in the Bürgeraufnahme (citizen admittance) records of the city of Nuremberg from the year 1430, where a certain Hans Pfeil is listed as a newly admitted citizen.
In the 16th century, the Pfeil surname continued to spread throughout German-speaking regions, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname was Johannes Pfeil, a Lutheran theologian and reformer born in Nuremberg in 1520, who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent figure with the Pfeil surname was Johann Baptist Pfeil, a German botanist and naturalist born in 1765 in Kassel. He is known for his contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and his extensive travels throughout Europe and Asia.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Pfeil surname also appeared in various records and documents from other parts of Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, likely due to migration and cultural exchange.
In the 19th century, the Pfeil surname gained further prominence with individuals such as Gustav Pfeil, a German explorer and naturalist born in 1807 in Hildesheim. He is renowned for his extensive travels and discoveries in South America, particularly in the region of the Amazon River.
Another notable figure from this period was August Friedrich Pfeil, a German chess master born in 1785 in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He is considered one of the strongest players of his era and made significant contributions to the development of chess theory and strategies.
Throughout its history, the Pfeil surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including archers, fletchers, naturalists, explorers, and scholars, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pfeil
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfeil, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pfeil 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 Pfeil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,255
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 66
- Two or more races2.6% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pfeil
Pfeil 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
#12,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,531
+27 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 762 places
2020
#12,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,414
-117 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,523 | 2,504 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,285 | 2,531 | 0.86 | +27 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 762 places |
| 2020 | #12,301 | 2,414 | 0.81 | -117 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 16 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 Pfeil 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 | #12,285 | #12,301 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,531 | 2,414 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.81 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pfeil bearers went from 2,531 to 2,414 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,285 to #12,301.
FAQ
Pfeil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pfeil?
Name Census estimates that about 2,768 living Americans carry the surname Pfeil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,827 residents.
How common is Pfeil?
Pfeil ranks #12,301 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,414 people with the surname Pfeil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Pfeil.
Has Pfeil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pfeil went from 2,531 recorded bearers to 2,414. That is a decrease of 117 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,285 to #12,301.
What does the Census say about the background of Pfeil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfeil, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Pfeil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pfeil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (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 Pfeil (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 Pfeil mean?
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to an arrow-maker or fletcher. 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 Pfeil (0.81 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 share the surname Pfeil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.