2000
#5,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Pfister
A German occupational surname referring to a baker, derived from the Middle High German word "pfister" meaning pastry chef.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,876 Americans carry the last name Pfister. That puts it at #6,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pfister 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
5.9K
1 in 58,331
Census rank
#6,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,124 bearers of the surname Pfister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfister, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pfister
The surname Pfister is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "pfister," which means "baker" or "baker's assistant." This occupational surname emerged in the Middle Ages, typically bestowed upon individuals who worked as bakers or in related professions within the baking trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pfister surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern regions such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name was also prevalent in areas with substantial German-speaking populations, including parts of modern-day Austria and Switzerland.
One of the earliest known references to the Pfister surname appears in the Deutsches Rechtswörterbuch (German Legal Dictionary) from the year 1295, where it is listed as a common occupational surname associated with bakers and their assistants.
The name Pfister is derived from the Old High German word "pfistari," which evolved into the Middle High German "pfister" and ultimately became the modern German word "Bäcker" (baker). The spelling variations of the surname include Pfister, Pfyster, Pfister, and Pfyster, among others.
Notable individuals with the Pfister surname throughout history include:
1. Albrecht Pfister (c. 1420-1466), a renowned German printer and publisher who operated in Bamberg, Germany, and is considered one of the pioneers of the printing industry in Europe.
2. Johann Christian Pfister (1772-1835), a German theologian and educator who served as the principal of the Evangelical Seminary in Schöntal, Württemberg.
3. Oskar Pfister (1873-1956), a Swiss theologian and psychoanalyst who collaborated closely with Sigmund Freud and made significant contributions to the field of psychoanalysis.
4. Bernhard Pfister (1860-1945), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Bavaria.
5. Gerhard Pfister (born 1939), a German chess player and author who achieved the title of International Master and wrote several books on chess strategy and tactics.
While the name Pfister is primarily associated with Germany and German-speaking regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pfister
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfister, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pfister 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 Pfister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 4,734
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 149
- Two or more races2.8% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 45
- Black or African American0.6% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pfister
Pfister 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
#6,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,441
+30 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 422 places
2020
#6,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,124
-317 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,861 | 5,411 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,283 | 5,441 | 1.84 | +30 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 422 places |
| 2020 | #6,383 | 5,124 | 1.71 | -317 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 100 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 Pfister 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 | #6,283 | #6,383 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,441 | 5,124 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.71 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pfister bearers went from 5,441 to 5,124 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,283 to #6,383.
FAQ
Pfister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pfister?
Name Census estimates that about 5,876 living Americans carry the surname Pfister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,331 residents.
How common is Pfister?
Pfister ranks #6,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 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 5,124 people with the surname Pfister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,876), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 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 Pfister.
Has Pfister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pfister went from 5,441 recorded bearers to 5,124. That is a decrease of 317 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,283 to #6,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Pfister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfister, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) 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 Pfister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (4,734 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pfister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (2.9%), 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 Pfister (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 Pfister mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a baker, derived from the Middle High German word "pfister" meaning pastry chef. 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 Pfister (1.71 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 Pfister?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Pfister on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.