2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pretsch
A surname derived from the German word 'Bretze', meaning a dense cluster or thicket of bushes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Pretsch. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pretsch 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Pretsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pretsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pretsch
The surname Pretsch originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely arising in the late medieval or early modern period. It may be a variant spelling or derivative of the German word "Pretsche," meaning a type of polearm or staff weapon used in the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pretsch can be found in the Heidelberg Census of 1588, which lists a Hans Pretsch residing in the city at that time. This suggests the name was present in the region during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and local archives from the German states. For example, the baptismal register of St. Peter's Church in Mainz includes an entry for a Johannes Pretsch, born in 1642.
During the 18th century, the Pretsch surname can be traced to several notable individuals. Johann Christoph Pretsch (1714-1784) was a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another notable bearer of the name was Karl Gottlieb Pretsch (1753-1836), a German painter and engraver who specialized in landscape art.
In the 19th century, the name continued to be present in various German-speaking regions. One notable figure was Friedrich Pretsch (1824-1888), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag, representing the National Liberal Party.
The 20th century saw the Pretsch surname spread further, with bearers of the name found in various parts of Europe and beyond. Notable individuals included Hans Pretsch (1900-1976), an Austrian architect known for his work in modernist and Bauhaus styles, and Gerhard Pretsch (1922-2001), a German actor and voice artist who lent his voice to numerous animated films and television series.
While the surname Pretsch has its origins in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the medieval and early modern periods in Central Europe, where it likely originated as a variant or derivative of a term related to a type of medieval weapon or staff.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pretsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Pretsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pretsch 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 Pretsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pretsch
Pretsch 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,861 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-18 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,878 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,861 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 15,878 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 Pretsch 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 | #138,304 | #154,182 | -11.5% |
| Count | 121 | 103 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pretsch bearers went from 121 to 103 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 15,878 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #154,182.
FAQ
Pretsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pretsch?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Pretsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Pretsch?
Pretsch ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Pretsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pretsch.
Has Pretsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pretsch went from 121 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Pretsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pretsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Pretsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pretsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Pretsch (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 Pretsch mean?
A surname derived from the German word 'Bretze', meaning a dense cluster or thicket of bushes. 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 Pretsch (0.03 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 common is the surname Pretsch?
Find out how many people have the surname Pretsch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.