Find out how popular the last name Puffenbarger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Puffenbarger.

Puffenbarger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Puffenbarger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Puffenbarger in America

Puffenbarger is the 32750th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Puffenbarger surname appeared 701 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Puffenbarger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Puffenbarger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Puffenbarger

The surname PUFFENBARGER is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of the Palatinate, which was a historic region in what is now southwestern Germany. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "puffen," which means "to puff" or "to blow," and the suffix "-barger," which may have been a reference to a person's occupation or place of residence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the PUFFENBARGER name can be found in the church records of the village of Rödersheim in the Palatinate region, where a Johann PUFFENBARGER was mentioned in 1598. It is possible that the name was initially associated with someone who worked as a blacksmith or in a similar occupation that involved bellows and blowing air.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Germans from the Palatinate region emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas, including the British colonies in North America. This diaspora likely contributed to the spread of the PUFFENBARGER name to other parts of the world.

One notable PUFFENBARGER was Johann Peter PUFFENBARGER, who was born in the Palatinate region in 1721 and later immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He and his family settled in what is now Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and his descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the United States.

Another PUFFENBARGER of historical significance was Jacob PUFFENBARGER, born in Virginia in 1795. He was a pioneer and farmer who later moved to Ohio and played a role in the early settlement and development of that state.

In the 19th century, the PUFFENBARGER name can be found in various records and documents across the United States, including census records and military records from the American Civil War. For example, Samuel PUFFENBARGER, born in Virginia in 1839, served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Other notable individuals with the PUFFENBARGER surname include John PUFFENBARGER (1828-1903), a farmer and landowner in West Virginia, and William PUFFENBARGER (1872-1953), a businessman and community leader in Pennsylvania.

While the PUFFENBARGER name may have originated in a specific region of Germany, it has since spread across the globe and can now be found in various parts of the world, including North America, Europe, and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Puffenbarger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Puffenbarger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Puffenbarger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Puffenbarger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Puffenbarger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Puffenbarger, please contact us.

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