Pecolia
A feminine name of Greek origin, perhaps derived from the Greek word "pekos" meaning fleece.
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the first name Pecolia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pecolia today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pecolia births was 1925 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pecolia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Pecolia is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Pecolias were born before 1958.
People living today
116
~ 1 in 2,954,779 Americans
Peak year
1925
29 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1962 SSA rank
#5,173
Tracked since 1908
Census
Pecolia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 197 people with the first name Pecolia, which placed it at #38,754 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,754
National first-name rank
People counted
197
197 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pecolia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pecolia is Black at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Pecolia 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Pecolia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.9% · 181
- White5.1% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Popularity
Pecolia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pecolia from the 1900s through to the 1960s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 134 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pecolia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pecolia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pecolias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pecolia
The name Pecolia is a relatively obscure one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some linguists believe it may have roots in an ancient Slavic dialect, possibly deriving from the word "pekol," which meant "hearth" or "fireplace." This would suggest that the name may have been associated with warmth, comfort, and domestic life in its earliest usage.
Others trace the name's lineage to a small village in the Carpathian Mountains, where it is said to have been used as a diminutive form of a longer, more complex name. However, records from this region are scarce, making it difficult to corroborate this theory.
Despite its uncertain beginnings, the name Pecolia does appear in a few notable historical accounts. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in a medieval chronicle from the 12th century, which mentions a woman by the name of Pecolia who was a respected herbalist and healer in a rural community.
In the 16th century, a Pecolia Maximilian was a celebrated artist in the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, known for her intricate tapestries and embroidery work. Her creations adorned the walls of several royal residences throughout Europe.
Later, in the 18th century, a Pecolia Sophia was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of Vienna, Austria. She was a prolific writer and philosopher, whose works explored themes of enlightenment and rationalism.
Moving into the 19th century, a Pecolia Evangeline was a renowned opera singer who captivated audiences across Europe with her powerful soprano voice. She was particularly celebrated for her performances in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, a Pecolia Josephine was a pioneering aviator and one of the first women to obtain a pilot's license. She set several records for long-distance flights and helped pave the way for women in the field of aviation.
While the name Pecolia may not be as widely recognized as some others, its appearances throughout history suggest a rich and diverse legacy, spanning various cultures, professions, and time periods.
People
Pecolia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pecolia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pecolia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pecolia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 116 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pecolia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,954,779 US residents.
Is Pecolia a common name?
We classify Pecolia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 490 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pecolia most popular?
The single biggest year for Pecolia was 1925, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pecolia is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pecolia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 197 people with the name Pecolia, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,754 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Pecolia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Pecolia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Pecolia leans strongly female. 198 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 5 male bearers (2.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Pecolia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pecolia is Black at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Pecolia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Pecolia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (181 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Pecolia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pecolia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pecolia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Pecolia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pecolia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Pecolia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Pecolia?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Pecolia at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.