2000
#13,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Pressler
An occupational surname referring to a maker or presser of wine, derived from the German word "presser."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,188 Americans carry the last name Pressler. That puts it at #14,899 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pressler 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
2.2K
1 in 156,652
Census rank
#14,899
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,908 bearers of the surname Pressler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14899th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pressler
The surname Pressler originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Presser," which means "a wine presser" or someone who operates a wine press. This occupation-based name suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the winemaking industry.
The name Pressler is believed to have first emerged in the Rhine region of Germany, an area renowned for its vineyards and winemaking traditions. Early recordings of the name can be found in medieval German records and manuscripts, indicating its widespread use by the 15th century.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Pressler surname appears in the Stadtbuch (town book) of Mainz, a city in the wine-producing region of Rheinhessen, dated around 1450. This record mentions a certain Henne Pressler, who was likely a winemaker or owned a winepress at the time.
Another notable early bearer of the Pressler name was Hans Pressler, a German winemaker and merchant who lived in the 16th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the city of Heidelberg, where he owned a successful winery and exported his wines to other parts of Europe.
In the 17th century, the Pressler family spread to other regions of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. Johann Pressler (1602-1678), a renowned vintner from the Palatinate region of Germany, is credited with developing innovative winemaking techniques that improved the quality and reputation of the local wines.
As the centuries passed, the Pressler surname became associated with notable individuals beyond the realm of winemaking. One such figure was Theodor Pressler (1827-1892), a German composer and music teacher who made significant contributions to the development of piano pedagogy.
Another prominent individual bearing this surname was Gustav Pressler (1879-1942), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) during the Weimar Republic era. He was known for his advocacy of democratic reforms and his opposition to the rise of Nazism in Germany.
Throughout its history, the surname Pressler has maintained its connection to the winemaking industry, with many families continuing the tradition of cultivating vineyards and producing high-quality wines in various regions of Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pressler
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pressler 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 Pressler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,733
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 87
- Two or more races2.8% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pressler
Pressler 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
#12,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,429
+282 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 364 places
2020
#14,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,908
-521 bearers (-21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 2,188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,075 | 2,147 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,711 | 2,429 | 0.82 | +282 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 364 places |
| 2020 | #14,899 | 1,908 | 0.64 | -521 bearers (-21.4%) | Down 2,188 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 Pressler 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 | #12,711 | #14,899 | -17.2% |
| Count | 2,429 | 1,908 | -21.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.64 | -22.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pressler bearers went from 2,429 to 1,908 (-21.4% change). The surname moved down 2,188 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,711 to #14,899.
FAQ
Pressler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pressler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,188 living Americans carry the surname Pressler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,652 residents.
How common is Pressler?
Pressler ranks #14,899 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,908 people with the surname Pressler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,188), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pressler.
Has Pressler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pressler went from 2,429 recorded bearers to 1,908. That is a decrease of 521 (-21.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,711 to #14,899.
What does the Census say about the background of Pressler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Pressler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pressler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Pressler (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 Pressler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or presser of wine, derived from the German word "presser." 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 Pressler (0.64 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 Pressler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.