2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pyritz
A locational surname derived from the town of Pyritz in Pomerania, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Pyritz. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pyritz 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Pyritz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pyritz
The surname Pyritz is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Pyritz in what is now western Poland, near the German border. The name itself is thought to be derived from the Slavic word "pyrz," meaning "cabbage" or "turnip," suggesting that the town may have been known for its cultivation of these crops.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pyritz can be found in the Liber Proscriptionum, a 14th-century manuscript from the region of Pomerania. This document lists several individuals bearing the name, indicating that it was already well-established by that time.
In the late 15th century, a nobleman named Johann von Pyritz was a prominent figure in the court of the Dukes of Pomerania. He served as a diplomat and advisor, and his name appears in various official records and chronicles from that era.
During the 16th century, a scholar and theologian named Andreas Pyritz (1505-1559) gained recognition for his work on reforming the educational system in the city of Stralsund. His writings and teachings had a significant impact on the intellectual landscape of the region.
Another notable individual with the surname Pyritz was Joachim Pyritz (1620-1687), a German composer and organist who served at several churches in the cities of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) and Guben. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, Karl Friedrich von Pyritz (1735-1810) was a Prussian military officer who fought in the Seven Years' War. He later served as the governor of several provinces in what is now Poland and was known for his administrative reforms and efforts to improve the lives of the local population.
While the surname Pyritz has its origins in a specific town, it has since spread to other parts of Germany and beyond, as families migrated and settled in new areas. However, the name remains closely tied to its historical roots in the region of Pomerania, which was once part of the medieval Kingdom of Poland and later came under German control.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pyritz
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pyritz 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 Pyritz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 97
- Two or more races8.7% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pyritz
Pyritz 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,706 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,706 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,608 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 Pyritz 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 | #143,149 | #145,757 | -1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 115 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pyritz bearers went from 116 to 115 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,757.
FAQ
Pyritz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pyritz?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Pyritz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Pyritz?
Pyritz ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Pyritz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Pyritz.
Has Pyritz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pyritz went from 116 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Pyritz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Pyritz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pyritz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Two or More Races (8.7%), Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Pyritz (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 Pyritz mean?
A locational surname derived from the town of Pyritz in Pomerania, 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 Pyritz (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 Pyritz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.