Explore the Family Name Pfost

The meaning of Pfost

German: from Middle High German pfost ‘stake, post’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of stakes or posts or a topographic name for someone living near a prominent stake.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Pfost in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Pfost held a popularity rank of 42,983 in 2000 and saw a slight decrease to 44,500 by 2010. This represents a change of -3.53 in its ranking. Despite this dip in popularity rank, the count of individuals with the Pfost surname increased marginally from 474 in 2000 to 483 in 2010, showing a 1.9 percent growth. The proportion per 100k also declined by 11.11 percent, moving from 0.18 in 2000 to 0.16 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#42,983#44,500-3.53%
Count4744831.9%
Proportion per 100k0.180.16-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pfost

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the Pfost surname has been predominantly associated with White ethnicity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 97.47 percent of those with the Pfost surname identified as White, and this figure slightly increased to 97.93 percent in 2010. The percentage of Pfosts who identified as Hispanic fell from 1.05 in 2000 to zero in 2010. There were no recorded instances of the Pfost surname among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during this period.

20002010Change
White97.47%97.93%0.47%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Hispanic1.05%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%