2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pottschmidt
A German surname derived from the words "Pott" (pot) and "Schmidt" (blacksmith or metalworker), suggesting an ancestral occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Pottschmidt. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pottschmidt 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Pottschmidt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pottschmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pottschmidt
The surname Pottschmidt is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, where it was likely derived from a combination of the German words "pott" meaning "pot" and "schmied" meaning "blacksmith." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a potter or a metalworker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pottschmidt can be found in a 1583 parish register from the town of Bautzen in Saxony, where a man named Hans Pottschmidt was listed as a resident. The name also appears in various medieval documents and records from the region, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Potschmidt or Potsmidt.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Pottschmidt was Johann Gottfried Pottschmidt (1638-1712), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. His works on metaphysics and natural philosophy were widely influential during his time.
Another noteworthy individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Pottschmidt (1789-1867), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of modern Berlin. He designed several prominent buildings in the city, including the Altes Palais and the Neue Wache.
In the 19th century, a prominent Pottschmidt was Carl Wilhelm Pottschmidt (1821-1894), a German mathematician and educator. He made significant contributions to the field of analytic geometry and served as a professor at the University of Halle.
The name Pottschmidt can also be traced to several small villages and towns in Saxony, such as Potschappel and Pottendorf, which may have influenced the surname's origins and early geographic distribution.
As the Pottschmidt family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Potschmidt, Potsmidt, and Pottschmid. However, the core meaning and etymology remained rooted in the historical connections to metalworking and pottery-making professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pottschmidt
Among Census respondents with the surname Pottschmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pottschmidt 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 Pottschmidt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 10
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pottschmidt
Pottschmidt 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,465 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,736 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 5,465 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,736 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 Pottschmidt 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 | #147,253 | #152,989 | -3.9% |
| Count | 112 | 105 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pottschmidt bearers went from 112 to 105 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,736 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,989.
FAQ
Pottschmidt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pottschmidt?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Pottschmidt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Pottschmidt?
Pottschmidt ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Pottschmidt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Pottschmidt.
Has Pottschmidt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pottschmidt went from 112 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Pottschmidt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pottschmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Pottschmidt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pottschmidt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (9.5%), Black (1.9%). 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 Pottschmidt (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 Pottschmidt mean?
A German surname derived from the words "Pott" (pot) and "Schmidt" (blacksmith or metalworker), suggesting an ancestral occupation. 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 Pottschmidt (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 Pottschmidt?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Pottschmidt is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.