2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pfitzinger
A surname derived from the German word "Pfitz," meaning a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Pfitzinger. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pfitzinger 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Pfitzinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfitzinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pfitzinger
The surname Pfitzinger is of German origin, originating in the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "pfitze", which means "puddle" or "shallow pool", and the suffix "-inger", indicating a place of origin. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a puddle or a shallow body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pfitzinger name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the year 1459, where a certain Hans Pfitzinger is mentioned as a resident. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as tax records and property deeds, throughout the 15th and 16th centuries.
In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Pfitzinger (born around 1535 in Nuremberg) gained recognition as a skilled engraver and printmaker, contributing to the artistic renaissance of the time. His works, often depicting religious and allegorical themes, are still studied and admired by art historians today.
Another notable Pfitzinger was the 17th-century musician and composer Johann Pfitzinger (1600-1670), who served as the court musician for the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg, Germany. His compositions, particularly his sacred works, were widely performed and appreciated during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the Pfitzinger name found its way to the United States, with the arrival of German immigrants. One such immigrant was Johann Gottlieb Pfitzinger (1720-1795), who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a successful farmer and landowner.
Moving into the 19th century, the Pfitzinger name gained prominence in the field of academia. August Pfitzinger (1808-1888) was a respected German philologist and classical scholar, known for his translations and commentaries on ancient Greek texts.
Throughout its history, the Pfitzinger surname has maintained its roots in Germany, with various branches spreading across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pfitzinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfitzinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pfitzinger 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 Pfitzinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pfitzinger
Pfitzinger 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,112 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,112 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Pfitzinger 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pfitzinger bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Pfitzinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pfitzinger?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Pfitzinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Pfitzinger?
Pfitzinger ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Pfitzinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pfitzinger.
Has Pfitzinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pfitzinger went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Pfitzinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pfitzinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Pfitzinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pfitzinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Pfitzinger (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 Pfitzinger mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Pfitz," meaning a small stream or brook. 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 Pfitzinger (0.04 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 share the surname Pfitzinger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.