Find out how popular the last name Piffer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Piffer.

Piffer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Piffer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Piffer in America

Piffer is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Piffer surname appeared 132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Piffer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Piffer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Piffer

The surname PIFFER originates from Italy, specifically from the northern regions around Trentino-Alto Adige. The name is believed to have derived from the Ladin word "pifer," meaning "piper" or someone who played the pipe or flute. It likely emerged during the medieval period, between the 11th and 13th centuries.

The earliest recorded instances of the PIFFER surname can be traced back to the 14th century in historical documents from the town of Rovereto in Trentino. One notable example is a reference to a "Bartolomeo Piffer" in a land registry from 1387. The name was also found in other nearby towns and villages, such as Trento and Bolzano, during this period.

In the 15th century, the PIFFER name appeared in several ecclesiastical records, including the baptismal register of the Church of San Marco in Venice, where a "Giovanni Battista Piffer" was recorded in 1492. This suggests that members of the family had migrated to other parts of northern Italy by this time.

The PIFFER surname has a long history in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One of the earliest was Girolamo Piffer (1504-1568), a renowned physician and professor of medicine at the University of Padua. Another prominent figure was Antonio Piffer (1637-1707), a Baroque sculptor and architect who designed several churches and palaces in and around Trento.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the name emerged, such as "Piffero" and "Pifferari," which were likely occupational surnames for those who played the piffero (a type of small shawm or oboe). These variations were found in various parts of northern Italy, including Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy.

Other notable individuals with the PIFFER surname include Giovanni Battista Piffer (1775-1834), an Italian painter and engraver from Trentino who was known for his religious works, and Giacomo Piffer (1838-1912), a poet and writer from Rovereto who was part of the Italian irredentist movement.

Overall, the PIFFER surname has a rich history rooted in the northern Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige, where it originated as an occupational name related to the playing of pipes or flutes during the medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Piffer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Piffer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Piffer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Piffer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Piffer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Piffer, please contact us.

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