2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pitsinger
A German surname derived from the word "Pitz" meaning pointed or peaked, referring to a geographic location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Pitsinger. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pitsinger 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Pitsinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pitsinger
The surname Pitsinger is of German origin, having its roots in the 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "pitschen," which means "to strike" or "to beat," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname referring to a blacksmith or someone who worked with metal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Pitsinger can be found in various German records from the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable example is Johann Pitsinger, a blacksmith who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the late 15th century.
In the 17th century, the name Pitsinger is mentioned in the records of the town of Bamberg, where a family of that name owned a successful metalworking business. Hans Pitsinger (1607-1678) was a prominent member of this family and is recorded as having supplied the local nobility with various metalwork items.
As the Pitsinger family spread throughout Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Pittsinger, Pitzinger, and Pitzenger. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes.
One notable figure in the 18th century was Georg Pitsinger (1724-1796), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Augsburg. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the wealthy and aristocratic families of the time.
In the 19th century, the Pitsinger name can be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in regions where German immigrants settled, such as parts of the United States and Canada. Johann Pitsinger (1832-1905), a German immigrant to America, became a successful businessman and civic leader in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other notable individuals with the surname Pitsinger include Wilhelm Pitsinger (1864-1938), a German artist known for his landscape paintings, and Ernst Pitsinger (1890-1972), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin in the early 20th century.
While the surname Pitsinger is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in German culture and tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pitsinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pitsinger 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 Pitsinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 111
- Two or more races7.4% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pitsinger
Pitsinger 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+6 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,466 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-18 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,513 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 3,466 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 17,513 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 Pitsinger 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 | #123,796 | #141,309 | -14.1% |
| Count | 139 | 121 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pitsinger bearers went from 139 to 121 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 17,513 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #141,309.
FAQ
Pitsinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pitsinger?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Pitsinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Pitsinger?
Pitsinger ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Pitsinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Pitsinger.
Has Pitsinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pitsinger went from 139 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 18 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Pitsinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Pitsinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pitsinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (7.4%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Pitsinger (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 Pitsinger mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Pitz" meaning pointed or peaked, referring to a geographic location. 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 Pitsinger (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 are called Pitsinger?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Pitsinger, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.