2000
#16,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,643
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Pech
A surname of German/Jewish origin meaning "pitch" or "tar worker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,369 Americans carry the last name Pech. That puts it at #13,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pech 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 Pech with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,683
Census rank
#13,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,066 bearers of the surname Pech in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pech, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 41.7%. The next largest groups are White (30.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pech
The surname PECH is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Languedoc. It is derived from an old French word "pech," which means "hill" or "peak." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived on or near a hill or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name PECH can be found in the 12th century, where it appears in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in the Hérault region of southern France. This suggests that the name had already been well-established in the area by that time.
In the 13th century, the name PECH is found in various charters and documents from the Languedoc region, often in connection with place names such as Pech-Blanc, Pech-Rouger, and Pech-Noir. These place names further reinforce the idea that the surname was originally associated with specific geographical features.
During the Middle Ages, several notable individuals bore the surname PECH. One such person was Guilhem de Pech, a troubadour and poet who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Another was Bertran de Pech, a knight who fought in the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century.
In the 14th century, the PECH surname appears in the records of the Parlement of Toulouse, one of the highest courts of justice in southern France at the time. This suggests that the family had gained some prominence and social standing in the region.
As the centuries passed, the PECH surname spread beyond the Languedoc region and into other parts of France. Notable individuals with this surname include Jean-Baptiste Pech (1761-1834), a French portrait painter and engraver, and Jean Pech (1850-1920), a French journalist and politician who served as a deputy in the National Assembly.
Beyond France, the PECH surname can also be found in other European countries, such as Spain and Italy, where it may have been introduced by French immigrants or travelers. For example, Juan Pech (1540-1612) was a Spanish theologian and author from Valencia, while Antonio Pech (1659-1728) was an Italian architect and sculptor from Naples.
Throughout its history, the surname PECH has maintained a strong connection to its geographical origins and the concept of hills or peaks. While it has spread across regions and countries, its roots can be traced back to the hills of southern France and the Languedoc region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pech
Among Census respondents with the surname Pech, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 41.7%. The next largest groups are White (30.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pech 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 Pech surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino41.7% · 861
- White30.2% · 623
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.5% · 527
- Two or more races1.5% · 32
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pech
Pech 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
#15,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,877
+234 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 597 places
2020
#13,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,066
+189 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 1,602 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,176 | 1,643 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,579 | 1,877 | 0.64 | +234 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 597 places |
| 2020 | #13,977 | 2,066 | 0.69 | +189 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,602 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 Pech 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 | #15,579 | #13,977 | 10.3% |
| Count | 1,877 | 2,066 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.69 | 8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pech bearers went from 1,877 to 2,066 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,602 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,579 to #13,977.
FAQ
Pech surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pech?
Name Census estimates that about 2,369 living Americans carry the surname Pech. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,683 residents.
How common is Pech?
Pech ranks #13,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,066 people with the surname Pech. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,369), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Pech.
Has Pech become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pech went from 1,877 recorded bearers to 2,066. That is an increase of 189 (+10.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,579 to #13,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Pech?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pech, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 41.7%. The next largest groups are White (30.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pech in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.7% (861 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pech appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (41.7%), White (30.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%). 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 Pech (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 Pech mean?
A surname of German/Jewish origin meaning "pitch" or "tar worker". 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 Pech (0.69 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 Americans have the surname Pech?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.