2000
#45,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 446
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Pusch
A German surname derived from the region of Puschen, located near modern-day Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 474 Americans carry the last name Pusch. That puts it at #53,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 723,110 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pusch 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
474
1 in 723,110
Census rank
#53,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
413
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 413 bearers of the surname Pusch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pusch
The surname PUSCH is of German origin, and it first appeared during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Bavaria, in southern Germany. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "busch," which means "bush" or "thicket," suggesting that the name may have been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near a bush or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, which mentions a person named "Conradus Pusch" in the year 1375. This suggests that the name was in use by that time.
During the 15th century, the name appears in various records across different regions of Germany. For example, in the city of Nuremberg, there is a mention of a "Hans Pusch" in 1457, while in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a "Cuntz Pusch" is recorded in 1486.
As Germany experienced significant migration and population movements during the 16th and 17th centuries, the name PUSCH spread to other parts of Europe. In the 18th century, there are records of individuals with this surname in regions such as Austria and Switzerland.
Notable individuals with the surname PUSCH throughout history include Johann Pusch (1600-1668), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in Leipzig. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Pusch (1786-1846), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Prussian National Assembly.
In the field of science, Karl Pusch (1837-1901) was a German botanist and explorer who conducted research in South America, and his works contributed to the understanding of the flora in that region. More recently, Georg Pusch (1900-1966) was a German-Austrian physicist and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name PUSCH in a place name can be found in the village of Puschendorf, located in the district of Fürth, Bavaria. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who came from or lived in that particular area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pusch
Among Census respondents with the surname Pusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pusch 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 Pusch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 367
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 24
- Two or more races3.4% · 14
- Black or African American1.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pusch
Pusch 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
#48,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 435
-11 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,303 places
2020
#53,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 413
-22 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,439 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,227 | 446 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,530 | 435 | 0.15 | -11 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 3,303 places |
| 2020 | #53,969 | 413 | 0.14 | -22 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 5,439 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 Pusch 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 | #48,530 | #53,969 | -11.2% |
| Count | 435 | 413 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pusch bearers went from 435 to 413 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 5,439 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,530 to #53,969.
FAQ
Pusch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pusch?
Name Census estimates that about 474 living Americans carry the surname Pusch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 723,110 residents.
How common is Pusch?
Pusch ranks #53,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 413 people with the surname Pusch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (474), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Pusch.
Has Pusch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pusch went from 435 recorded bearers to 413. That is a decrease of 22 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #48,530 to #53,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Pusch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Pusch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pusch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Pusch (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 Pusch mean?
A German surname derived from the region of Puschen, located near modern-day Poland. 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 Pusch (0.14 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 Pusch?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Pusch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.