2000
#16,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,598
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Panzer
A German surname typically referring to armored combat vehicles or tanks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,767 Americans carry the last name Panzer. That puts it at #17,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 193,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Panzer 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
1.8K
1 in 193,975
Census rank
#17,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,541 bearers of the surname Panzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Panzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Panzer
The surname Panzer has its origins in the German language. It is derived from the German word 'Panzer', which means 'armor' or 'protective covering'. The name likely originated in the late Middle Ages or early modern period, possibly as a descriptive surname for someone who worked with armor or had some association with the production or use of armor.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Panzer can be traced back to the 16th century in various German-speaking regions of Europe. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Hans Panzer, a blacksmith from Nuremberg, Germany, who was mentioned in records from the year 1543.
In the 17th century, the name Panzer appeared in several historical documents, including church records and municipal registers. For example, Johann Panzer, a merchant from Frankfurt, was mentioned in a trade document from 1672.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Panzer surname became more widespread across German-speaking areas, particularly in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia. Notable individuals with this surname include Johann Friedrich Panzer (1738-1805), a German entomologist and naturalist, and Georg Wolfgang Franz Panzer (1755-1829), a German painter and engraver.
In the 20th century, the Panzer surname gained further prominence due to its association with armored vehicles, particularly tanks, during World War II. Erwin Rommel (1891-1944), known as the "Desert Fox," was a famous German field marshal who commanded Panzer divisions during the war.
Other notable individuals with the Panzer surname include Katharina Panzer (1627-1705), a German Lutheran writer and hymn composer, and Konrad Panzer (1526-1588), a German Renaissance humanist and educator who served as the rector of the University of Leipzig.
It is worth noting that while the Panzer surname is primarily associated with German-speaking regions, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Panzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Panzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Panzer 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 Panzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,436
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 45
- Two or more races2.4% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Panzer
Panzer 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
#17,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,562
-36 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 1,347 places
2020
#17,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,541
-21 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,549 | 1,598 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,896 | 1,562 | 0.53 | -36 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,347 places |
| 2020 | #17,878 | 1,541 | 0.52 | -21 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 18 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 Panzer 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 | #17,896 | #17,878 | 0.1% |
| Count | 1,562 | 1,541 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.52 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Panzer bearers went from 1,562 to 1,541 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,896 to #17,878.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Panzer
FAQ
Panzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Panzer?
Name Census estimates that about 1,767 living Americans carry the surname Panzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 193,975 residents.
How common is Panzer?
Panzer ranks #17,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,541 people with the surname Panzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Panzer.
Has Panzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Panzer went from 1,562 recorded bearers to 1,541. That is a decrease of 21 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,896 to #17,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Panzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Panzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Panzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Panzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Panzer (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 Panzer mean?
A German surname typically referring to armored combat vehicles or tanks. 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 Panzer (0.52 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 Americans have the surname Panzer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.