The Pfister surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,441 people carried this name — #6,283 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 54,300 people counted. That is up 1% from 5,411 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Pfister surname
South German and Alemannic German surname, from the noun Pfister (“baker”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Pfister» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
7,246 people named Pfister live in Switzerland.
They live in 24 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 1,365 people named Pfister.
52 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 61 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 232 people named Pfister live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
28 people named Pfister have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 83 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
90 people named Pfister are counted in Finland and Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Pfister in American newspapers,
1902–1908.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 23,395 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Pfister,
with a public archive behind them.
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Johann Georg Pfister d. 1640 · goldsmith
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Albrecht Pfister 1416–1465 · printer
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Marx Pfister 1495–1561 · merchant
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Peter Pfister 1500–1520 · artist
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Johann Pfister 1573–1648 · sculptor
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Conrad Pfister 1576–1636 · librarian
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Pfister.
- Pfalzgraf 503 · U.S. census
- Pfau 1,996 · U.S. census
- Pfeffer 4,400 · U.S. census
- Pfeifer 10,109 · U.S. census
- Pfeiffer 13,851 · U.S. census
- Pfender 322 · U.S. census
- Pflaum 577 · U.S. census
- Pfleger 922 · U.S. census
- Pflieger 573 · U.S. census
- Pflug 1,055 · U.S. census
- Pfluger 751 · U.S. census
- Pfohl 912 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Pfister is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.