2000
#5,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,375
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Phifer
An occupational surname for a baker or someone who works with a baker's oven, derived from Middle English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,236 Americans carry the last name Phifer. That puts it at #6,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phifer 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
6.2K
1 in 54,964
Census rank
#6,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,438 bearers of the surname Phifer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phifer
The surname Phifer is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was initially spelled as "Pfeifer." The name is derived from the German word "Pfeifer," which translates to "piper" or "flute player." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been musicians or entertainers who played the flute or other wind instruments.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Phifer can be found in the Bavarian town records from the 14th century. One notable entry mentions a certain "Hans Pfeifer," who was a renowned piper in the court of Duke Ludwig VII of Bavaria-Ingolstadt in the late 1300s. This provides strong evidence that the name was already well-established in that region during the medieval period.
As the name spread across Europe, various spelling variations emerged, including Pfeffer, Pfeiffer, and Phifer. The latter spelling became more prevalent in certain regions, particularly in Switzerland and parts of southern Germany, where the name was often associated with families involved in musical professions or those who played wind instruments.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Phifer was Johann Phifer, a Swiss composer and musician who lived in the early 16th century. His works, though few in number, were highly regarded in his time and helped establish the Phifer name as a respected one within the musical circles of Renaissance Europe.
Another notable figure was Hans Phifer, a German architect and stonemason who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Nuremberg, including the iconic Peller House, which still stands today as a testament to his skills and craftsmanship.
In the 18th century, the Phifer name gained prominence in the United States, with several families of German and Swiss descent settling in various regions, such as Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Jacob Phifer, a German immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s and later became a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.
Another notable American with the surname Phifer was Caleb Phifer, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Born in 1759 in North Carolina, he served in several campaigns and battles, including the Battle of Guilford Court House, where he reportedly displayed exceptional bravery and courage.
Throughout history, the surname Phifer has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including musicians, architects, soldiers, and farmers, among others. While the name may have originated from a humble profession of pipers or flute players, it has left an indelible mark across different cultures and epochs, reflecting the rich tapestry of human experience and the enduring legacy of surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phifer
Among Census respondents with the surname Phifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Phifer 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 Phifer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.9% · 2,929
- Black or African American37.2% · 2,024
- Two or more races5.3% · 289
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phifer
Phifer 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
#6,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,671
+296 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#6,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,438
-233 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,897 | 5,375 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,051 | 5,671 | 1.92 | +296 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #6,067 | 5,438 | 1.82 | -233 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 16 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 Phifer 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 | #6,051 | #6,067 | -0.3% |
| Count | 5,671 | 5,438 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.82 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phifer bearers went from 5,671 to 5,438 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,051 to #6,067.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Phifer
FAQ
Phifer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phifer?
Name Census estimates that about 6,236 living Americans carry the surname Phifer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,964 residents.
How common is Phifer?
Phifer ranks #6,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,438 people with the surname Phifer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Phifer.
Has Phifer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phifer went from 5,671 recorded bearers to 5,438. That is a decrease of 233 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,051 to #6,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Phifer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Phifer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.9% (2,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phifer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.9%), Black (37.2%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Phifer (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 Phifer mean?
An occupational surname for a baker or someone who works with a baker's oven, derived from Middle English. 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 Phifer (1.82 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 Phifer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.