2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Poetsch
A German surname derived from a word meaning potter or maker of earthenware vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Poetsch. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poetsch 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Poetsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poetsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poetsch
The surname "POETSCH" is of German origin, originating in the regions of what is now modern-day Germany and Austria. The name is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 14th centuries.
The name "POETSCH" is thought to be derived from the German word "Poetsch," which refers to a small, compact person or a dwarf. This suggests that the name might have been initially given as a descriptive nickname or a reference to a person's physical stature.
Historical records indicate that the earliest documented instances of the name "POETSCH" can be traced back to the 14th century. In 1369, a certain Johannes Poetsch was mentioned in a document from the city of Nuremberg, located in modern-day Bavaria, Germany.
Another notable early record of the name is found in the Österreichisches Familiennamen-Buch (Austrian Book of Family Names), where a Hanns Poetsch is listed as a resident of Vienna in the year 1435.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including "Poetsch," "Poetsche," and "Pötsch." These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the evolution of the German language.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "POETSCH" was Johannes Poetsch, a German merchant and trader who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his extensive trade routes throughout Europe and played a significant role in the economic development of his time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Poetsch (born around 1510) was a renowned goldsmith and jeweler in the city of Augsburg, Germany. His intricate metalwork and jewelry designs were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy patrons of that era.
During the 17th century, a scholar and theologian named Georg Poetsch (1624-1692) made significant contributions to the field of religious studies. He was a prolific writer and authored several influential works on theology and biblical interpretation.
In the 19th century, a German artist named Wilhelm Poetsch (1826-1898) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural scenes. His works captured the beauty of the German countryside and were widely appreciated during his lifetime.
Another notable individual with the surname "POETSCH" was Max Poetsch (1878-1962), a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early automotive technologies. He held several patents related to engine design and automotive manufacturing processes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poetsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Poetsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Poetsch 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 Poetsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poetsch
Poetsch 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+28 bearers (+28.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,230 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-15 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,015 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +28 bearers (+28.0%) | Up 18,230 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 15,015 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 Poetsch 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 | #132,206 | #147,221 | -11.4% |
| Count | 128 | 113 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poetsch bearers went from 128 to 113 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 15,015 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,221.
FAQ
Poetsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poetsch?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Poetsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Poetsch?
Poetsch ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Poetsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Poetsch.
Has Poetsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poetsch went from 128 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Poetsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poetsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Poetsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poetsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Poetsch (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 Poetsch mean?
A German surname derived from a word meaning potter or maker of earthenware vessels. 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 Poetsch (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 have the surname Poetsch?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.