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

Pulitzer, 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 Pulitzer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pulitzer in America

Pulitzer is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pulitzer surname appeared 108 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 Pulitzer.

The history of the last name Pulitzer

The surname Pulitzer has its origins in Hungary, where it is believed to have emerged in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Hungarian word "pulya," which means "chick" or "young fowl." It is thought to have originally been an occupational surname referring to someone who worked with poultry or a nickname given to a small or diminutive person.

The earliest known record of the Pulitzer name dates back to the late 16th century in the town of Makó, located in what is now southeastern Hungary. In a 1589 census record, a man named István Pulitzer is listed as a resident of the town.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Pulitzer name began to spread to other parts of Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. One notable early bearer of the name was János Pulitzer, a Lutheran pastor born in Eperjes (now Prešov, Slovakia) in 1711. He served as the rector of the Lutheran high school in Kežmarok (Késmárk) from 1745 until his death in 1774.

The most famous historical figure with the Pulitzer surname is undoubtedly Joseph Pulitzer, the Hungarian-American newspaper publisher and philanthropist. Born József Pulitzer in Makó, Hungary, in 1847, he emigrated to the United States in 1864 and went on to establish the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the New York World newspapers. Pulitzer played a significant role in establishing the modern concept of objective journalism and founded the prestigious Pulitzer Prizes, which are awarded annually for excellence in journalism, literature, and other fields.

Another noteworthy Pulitzer was the Austrian-American author and playwright Franz Theodor Pulitzer, who lived from 1868 to 1942. He was a cousin of Joseph Pulitzer and wrote several plays, novels, and short stories in German.

In the 20th century, the Pulitzer name continued to be associated with journalism and publishing. Ralph Pulitzer, the son of Joseph Pulitzer, served as the publisher of the New York World from 1908 to 1939. The Pulitzer family also maintained ownership of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch until the late 1980s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pulitzer

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

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 Pulitzer 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.

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 Pulitzer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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