Find out how popular the last name Pankey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pankey.

Pankey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pankey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pankey in America

Pankey is the 7216th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pankey surname appeared 4,626 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Pankey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pankey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pankey

The surname Pankey has its origins in England, with records suggesting it first appeared in the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "panca," which means a small enclosed area or a pen for livestock. The name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked in such an enclosure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pankey surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a John Pankey was listed in 1593. The spelling variations at the time included Pankee, Pankie, and Pankye.

In the 17th century, the Pankey name appeared in various documents across England. For example, a Thomas Pankey was recorded in the Protestation Returns of 1641-42 for the county of Somerset. Another record from 1674 mentions a William Pankey in the Hearth Tax Rolls for the town of Stockton-on-Tees, Durham.

Interestingly, the Pankey surname was also found in Scotland during this period. In 1685, a James Pankey was listed in the Monumental Inscriptions of Shetland, indicating the name's presence in the Northern Isles.

One notable individual bearing the Pankey surname was Sir John Pankey (1662-1732), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire. He was a prominent figure in the city of Leeds and served as the Mayor of Leeds in 1710.

Another individual of note was William Pankey (1788-1865), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a member of parliament for the borough of Stafford.

In the 19th century, the Pankey name could be found across various parts of England, including Lancashire, Derbyshire, and Gloucestershire. One example is Edward Pankey (1823-1892), a renowned architect from Manchester who designed several churches and public buildings in the city.

The surname Pankey also made its way to other parts of the world through emigration. For instance, Thomas Pankey (1795-1867), born in Gloucestershire, England, emigrated to the United States in the 1820s and settled in Ohio, where he worked as a farmer.

Another notable figure was Robert Pankey (1854-1921), a Canadian farmer and politician from Ontario. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the riding of East Middlesex from 1902 to 1905.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pankey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pankey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pankey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pankey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pankey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pankey, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!