2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pueppke
A German surname meaning "little doll" or "little puppet."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Pueppke. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pueppke 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Pueppke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pueppke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pueppke
The surname Pueppke is a German occupational name derived from the Lower German word "puppe" meaning "doll" or "puppet". It likely originated in the 14th or 15th century in northern Germany and referred to a person who made or sold dolls or puppets.
One of the earliest known records of the name comes from the town of Lübeck in northern Germany, where a "Hans Pueppke" is mentioned in a guild record from 1487. The name is also found in various other records from the region around that time, with spellings like "Pöppke" and "Puppke".
In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with examples like Johann Pueppke (born around 1520) from Saxony and Matthias Pueppke (1548-1625) from Brandenburg. There are also records of the name in areas that were historically part of Prussia, such as the village of Pueppkenhof near what is now Kaliningrad, Russia.
Notable individuals with the surname Pueppke include the 17th century German painter Heinrich Pueppke (1619-1690), known for his portraits and religious works. Another was the 19th century philosopher and theologian Carl Pueppke (1815-1887), who wrote extensively on ethics and metaphysics.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the name was the German World War II fighter ace Rudolf Pueppke (1910-1944), who was credited with over 100 aerial victories before being shot down and killed in action.
While the surname is still found in Germany today, it remains relatively uncommon, reflecting its origins as a specialized occupational name from several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pueppke
Among Census respondents with the surname Pueppke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pueppke 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 Pueppke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 95
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pueppke
Pueppke 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+23 bearers (+22.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,232 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-26 bearers (-20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,819 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +23 bearers (+22.3%) | Up 13,232 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -26 bearers (-20.6%) | Down 21,819 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 Pueppke 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 | #133,863 | #155,682 | -16.3% |
| Count | 126 | 100 | -20.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pueppke bearers went from 126 to 100 (-20.6% change). The surname moved down 21,819 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #155,682.
FAQ
Pueppke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pueppke?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Pueppke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Pueppke?
Pueppke ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Pueppke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Pueppke.
Has Pueppke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pueppke went from 126 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 26 (-20.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Pueppke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pueppke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Pueppke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pueppke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Pueppke (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 Pueppke mean?
A German surname meaning "little doll" or "little puppet." 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 Pueppke (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 many people have the surname Pueppke?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.