Explore the Family Name Puffer

The meaning of Puffer

1. German: variant of Puff 2. 2. English: probably a variant of Pougher, an occupational name from Middle English pougher ‘maker or seller of bags, sacks, or pouches’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Puffer" has seen a slight decline from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 15,269 and dropped to 15,595 in 2010, showcasing a change of -2.14%. Despite this, the count of individuals with the surname increased from 1,767 to 1,875, indicating a 6.11% increase. However, when considering the proportion per 100k, there was a decrease of -3.03%, moving from 0.66 in 2000 to 0.64 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,269	#15,595	-2.14%
Count	1,767	1,875	6.11%
Proportion per 100k	0.66	0.64	-3.03%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Puffer

The ethnicity associated with the surname "Puffer" also shifted from 2000 to 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest ethnic identity group remained those identifying as White, although the percentage decreased slightly by -1.61% from 95.08% to 93.55%. Individuals identifying with two or more ethnicities saw a substantial increase of 64.71%, rising from 1.36% to 2.24%. Additionally, the Hispanic representation also saw a significant increase of 52.75%, going from 0.91% to 1.39%. On the other hand, those claiming Asian/Pacific Islander and Black identities saw declines of -17.58% and -7.50% respectively. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group experienced a 25.74% increase, from 1.36% to 1.71%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	95.08%	93.55%	-1.61%
Two or More Races	1.36%	2.24%	64.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	1.36%	1.71%	25.74%
Hispanic	0.91%	1.39%	52.75%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.91%	0.75%	-17.58%
Black	0.4%	0.37%	-7.5%