Pongrácz last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Pongrácz

A surname of Hungarian origin meaning "vine grower" or "vintner".

Pongrácz, 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 Pongrácz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pongrácz in America

Pongrácz is the 67318th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pongrácz surname appeared 293 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 Pongrácz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pongrácz 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 67318 63632 5.63%
Count 293 293 0.00%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.11 -9.52%

The history of the last name Pongrácz

The surname Pongracz has its origins in Hungary, with the earliest known records of the name dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Hungarian word "pongrác," which is a variant of the Latin name "Pancratius." This Latin name was derived from the Greek word "pankratios," meaning "all-powerful."

The Pongracz family was initially concentrated in the regions of Gömör and Kishont, which were part of the historical Kingdom of Hungary. These areas are now located in present-day Slovakia and Hungary. The name may have been associated with specific locations or estates within these regions, although the exact details are uncertain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pongracz surname can be found in a document from 1272, which mentions a nobleman named Pongracz de Feled. This document suggests that the name was already well-established among the Hungarian nobility during the Middle Ages.

In the 15th century, a notable member of the Pongracz family was István Pongrácz, who served as the Bishop of Vác between 1472 and 1501. His tenure as bishop coincided with the reign of King Matthias Corvinus, one of Hungary's most influential monarchs.

Another prominent individual bearing the Pongracz surname was András Pongrácz, a Hungarian Jesuit priest and martyr. He was born in 1619 and was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1995 for his role in the Košice Martyrs incident, in which he and several other Jesuits were executed for their faith.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pongracz family played a significant role in the resistance against Ottoman rule in Hungary. Several members of the family fought in the Long War (1593-1606) and the Fifteen Years' War (1591-1606), which were part of the Ottoman–Habsburg wars.

Notable figures from this period include Gáspár Pongrácz, a military commander who fought against the Ottomans in the early 17th century, and Lőrinc Pongrácz, who served as a captain in the Imperial Army during the same period.

In the 19th century, a well-known bearer of the Pongracz name was Kálmán Pongrácz, a Hungarian politician and writer who served as a member of the National Assembly and was active in the Hungarian revolutionary movements of 1848-1849.

While the Pongracz surname has its roots in Hungary, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the Kingdom of Hungary, where it was closely associated with the nobility and military service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pongrácz

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

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 Pongrácz was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.22% 279
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.39% 7
Hispanic Origin 1.71% 5

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 Pongrácz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.22% 96.59% -1.43%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 2.39% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.71% (S)% (S)%

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 Pongrácz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Pongrácz last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 4, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/pongracz-surname-popularity/.

"Pongrácz last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/pongracz-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 July, 2025

Pongrácz last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/pongracz-surname-popularity/.

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