2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pothoff
An occupational surname referring to a pot maker or seller in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Pothoff. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pothoff 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Pothoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pothoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pothoff
The surname POTHOFF is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German words "Pott" and "Hof," which together mean "potter's farmstead" or "potter's courtyard."
This surname likely originated in the regions of Germany where pottery-making was a common occupation, particularly in areas with rich clay deposits suitable for pottery production. The earliest recorded instances of the name POTHOFF can be found in various German records and documents from that time period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the POTHOFF surname was Johannes Pothoff, a potter who lived in the city of Cologne, Germany, in the late 15th century. His name appears in local records from around 1480, indicating that the POTHOFF surname was already in use at that time.
Another notable figure with the POTHOFF surname was Gerhard Pothoff, a German painter and printmaker who lived in the 16th century. He was born in the town of Delmenhorst, near Bremen, in 1520 and is known for his intricate woodcut illustrations and religious paintings.
In the 17th century, the POTHOFF surname can be found in various records from the German states of Prussia and Saxony. One prominent individual from this period was Johann Wilhelm Pothoff, a German jurist and legal scholar who was born in Magdeburg in 1670 and served as a judge and professor of law.
During the 18th century, the POTHOFF name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Belgium. One notable bearer of the surname from this time was Pieter Pothoff, a Dutch merchant and ship owner who was born in Rotterdam in 1725 and played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.
In the 19th century, the POTHOFF surname can be found in various records from Germany, as well as in immigrant communities in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States and Canada. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Pothoff, a German-American engineer and inventor who was born in Osnabrück, Germany, in 1825 and later immigrated to the United States, where he obtained several patents for his inventions related to steam engines and machinery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pothoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Pothoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pothoff 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 Pothoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pothoff
Pothoff 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,530 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-16 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,530 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 15,012 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 Pothoff 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 | #137,327 | #152,339 | -10.9% |
| Count | 122 | 106 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pothoff bearers went from 122 to 106 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 15,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #152,339.
FAQ
Pothoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pothoff?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Pothoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Pothoff?
Pothoff ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Pothoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Pothoff.
Has Pothoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pothoff went from 122 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Pothoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pothoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Pothoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pothoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Pothoff (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 Pothoff mean?
An occupational surname referring to a pot maker or seller in Germany. 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 Pothoff (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 Americans have the surname Pothoff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.