2000
#8,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,555
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Pankey
An English occupational surname for a servant or page in a royal or noble household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,696 Americans carry the last name Pankey. That puts it at #9,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,737 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pankey 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
3.7K
1 in 92,737
Census rank
#9,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,223 bearers of the surname Pankey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pankey, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pankey
Among Census respondents with the surname Pankey, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pankey 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 Pankey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.4% · 1,948
- Black or African American29.4% · 948
- Two or more races6.1% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pankey
Pankey 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
#7,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,626
+1,071 bearers (+30.1%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Up 1,318 places
2020
#9,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,223
-1,403 bearers (-30.3%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 2,419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,534 | 3,555 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,216 | 4,626 | 1.57 | +1,071 bearers (+30.1%) | Up 1,318 places |
| 2020 | #9,635 | 3,223 | 1.08 | -1,403 bearers (-30.3%) | Down 2,419 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 Pankey 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 | #7,216 | #9,635 | -33.5% |
| Count | 4,626 | 3,223 | -30.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.08 | -31.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pankey bearers went from 4,626 to 3,223 (-30.3% change). The surname moved down 2,419 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,216 to #9,635.
FAQ
Pankey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pankey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,696 living Americans carry the surname Pankey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,737 residents.
How common is Pankey?
Pankey ranks #9,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,223 people with the surname Pankey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pankey.
Has Pankey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pankey went from 4,626 recorded bearers to 3,223. That is a decrease of 1,403 (-30.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,216 to #9,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Pankey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pankey, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Pankey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.4% (1,948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pankey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.4%), Black (29.4%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Pankey (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 Pankey mean?
An English occupational surname for a servant or page in a royal or noble household. 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 Pankey (1.08 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 have the surname Pankey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.