2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ponitz
A place name derived from German locations known as Ponitz or Ponicz.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Ponitz. 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 Ponitz 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 Ponitz 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 Ponitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ponitz
The surname Ponitz has its origins in Saxony, a cultural area in modern-day eastern Germany. It first emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is likely derived from the Slavic word "ponit," which means "lowland" or "marshland," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived in or originated from a low-lying, marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ponitz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents and records from Saxony. The name appears in this compilation, which dates back to the 13th century, indicating its longstanding presence in the region.
In the 16th century, a notable individual named Johann Ponitz (c. 1500-1560) was a Protestant theologian and reformer from Saxony. He played a role in the Reformation movement and was associated with Martin Luther's teachings.
Another historical figure with the surname Ponitz was Johann Georg Ponitz (1614-1678), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony. He served as a professor of law at the University of Leipzig and wrote several influential works on legal philosophy and jurisprudence.
In the 18th century, Christian Friedrich Ponitz (1738-1807) was a German philosopher and educator. He held a position as a professor of philosophy at the University of Leipzig and made contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.
The surname Ponitz has also been associated with certain place names in Saxony and surrounding areas. For instance, the village of Ponitz, located in the district of Altenburger Land in Thuringia, Germany, likely derived its name from the Ponitz family or individuals bearing that surname who lived in or owned land in that area.
Throughout its history, the surname Ponitz has maintained a strong presence in Saxony and neighboring regions of eastern Germany, although bearers of this name have also migrated to other parts of the world over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ponitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ponitz 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 Ponitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 105
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ponitz
Ponitz 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,791 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,791 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 4,311 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 Ponitz 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 | #151,532 | #147,221 | 2.8% |
| Count | 108 | 113 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ponitz bearers went from 108 to 113 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 4,311 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,221.
FAQ
Ponitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ponitz?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Ponitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Ponitz?
Ponitz 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 Ponitz. 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 Ponitz.
Has Ponitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ponitz went from 108 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 5 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Ponitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (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 Ponitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ponitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (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 Ponitz (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 Ponitz mean?
A place name derived from German locations known as Ponitz or Ponicz. 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 Ponitz (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 Ponitz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.