2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pritzkau
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Pritzkau. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pritzkau 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Pritzkau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritzkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pritzkau
The surname Pritzkau originated in Germany, with records indicating its presence as far back as the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "priz," meaning a thicket or bush, combined with the suffix "-kau," which referred to a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person residing near a thicket or bush-covered meadow.
Early variations of the spelling included Pritzkow, Pritzkau, and Pritzkou, with the modern spelling of Pritzkau becoming more prevalent in the 16th century. The name was particularly concentrated in the regions of Pomerania and Brandenburg, located in northern Germany.
One of the earliest documented occurrences of the name Pritzkau can be found in the Liber Census Daniae, a medieval census record from Denmark, which mentioned a landowner named Henricus Pritzkau in the year 1231. Additionally, the Pritzkau name appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from Brandenburg, dating back to the 14th century.
Notable individuals bearing the Pritzkau surname include Johann Pritzkau (1520-1589), a prominent German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in Stralsund, a city in Pomerania. Another notable figure was Christoph Pritzkau (1675-1743), a German philosopher and theologian who authored several works on ethics and moral philosophy.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pritzkau family played a significant role in the cultural and political landscape of Pomerania. Hans Pritzkau (1547-1623) was a respected nobleman and landowner who served as a councilor to the Duke of Pomerania. His son, Wilhelm Pritzkau (1585-1662), followed in his footsteps, holding various administrative positions within the ducal court.
In the 18th century, the Pritzkau family gained prominence in the military ranks. Friedrich Pritzkau (1716-1792) was a Prussian officer who distinguished himself in the Seven Years' War, rising to the rank of Major General. His nephew, Ernst Pritzkau (1760-1828), also pursued a military career, serving as a colonel in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars.
While the Pritzkau surname has its roots firmly planted in German history, individuals bearing this name have since spread across various parts of Europe and beyond, contributing to diverse fields and leaving their mark on the cultural fabric of their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pritzkau
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritzkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pritzkau 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 Pritzkau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 95
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pritzkau
Pritzkau appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,405 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 Pritzkau 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 | #156,044 | #151,639 | 2.8% |
| Count | 104 | 107 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pritzkau bearers went from 104 to 107 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #151,639.
FAQ
Pritzkau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pritzkau?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Pritzkau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Pritzkau?
Pritzkau ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Pritzkau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Pritzkau.
Has Pritzkau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pritzkau went from 104 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Pritzkau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritzkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Pritzkau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pritzkau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (5.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Pritzkau (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 Pritzkau mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name 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 Pritzkau (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 Pritzkau?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.