2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pulfrey
An English surname derived from a medieval place name with obscure origins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 172 Americans carry the last name Pulfrey. That puts it at #121,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,992,758 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pulfrey 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pulfrey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
172
1 in 1,992,758
Census rank
#121,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
150
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 150 bearers of the surname Pulfrey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 121361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulfrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pulfrey
The surname Pulfrey has its origins in England, emerging sometime during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "pulfri" or "pulfric," which referred to a shed or shelter for poultry or small animals. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname associated with someone who tended to or worked with poultry or livestock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, a collection of financial records from the late 12th century. In these rolls, a person named Richard Pulfrey is mentioned as owing taxes to the crown in the year 1194. This provides evidence that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.
During the 13th century, the name appears in various documents across different regions of England. In the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1275, a William Pulfrey is listed as a landowner. Similarly, in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, a John Pulfrey is recorded as a taxpayer.
One notable figure bearing the Pulfrey surname was Sir Thomas Pulfrey, a knight who lived during the 15th century. He is mentioned in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the renowned Paston family of Norfolk, as being involved in a legal dispute over land ownership in the 1460s.
In the 16th century, the name Pulfrey appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in counties such as Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. One notable example from this period is William Pulfrey (c. 1530-1590), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who served as the city's mayor in 1582.
The Pulfrey surname can also be found in connection with various place names in England, such as Pulfrey Farm in Gloucestershire and Pulfrey Lane in Warwickshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Pulfrey surname who once lived or owned property in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the Pulfrey surname throughout history include John Pulfrey (c. 1620-1690), a prominent Puritan minister in Warwickshire during the English Civil War era, and Elizabeth Pulfrey (1675-1743), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from Somerset who endowed several charitable institutions in her will.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pulfrey
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulfrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pulfrey 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 Pulfrey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 135
- Two or more races7.3% · 11
- Black or African American1.3% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pulfrey
Pulfrey 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
-11 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,277 places
2020
#121,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
+34 bearers (+29.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 21,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 18,277 places |
| 2020 | #121,361 | 150 | 0.05 | +34 bearers (+29.3%) | Up 21,788 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 Pulfrey 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 | #121,361 | 15.2% |
| Count | 116 | 150 | 29.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 25.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pulfrey bearers went from 116 to 150 (+29.3% change). The surname moved up 21,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #121,361.
FAQ
Pulfrey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pulfrey?
Name Census estimates that about 172 living Americans carry the surname Pulfrey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,992,758 residents.
How common is Pulfrey?
Pulfrey ranks #121,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 150 people with the surname Pulfrey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Pulfrey.
Has Pulfrey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pulfrey went from 116 recorded bearers to 150. That is an increase of 34 (+29.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #121,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Pulfrey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulfrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Pulfrey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pulfrey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (7.3%), Black (1.3%). 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 Pulfrey (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 Pulfrey mean?
An English surname derived from a medieval place name with obscure origins. 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 Pulfrey (0.05 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 are called Pulfrey?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Pulfrey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.