2000
#14,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Pecina
A Czech and Slovak occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who worked at a bakery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,250 Americans carry the last name Pecina. That puts it at #10,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,463 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pecina 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
3.3K
1 in 105,463
Census rank
#10,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,834 bearers of the surname Pecina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pecina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pecina
The surname Pecina is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic. It is thought to be derived from the Czech word "pec," which means "oven" or "furnace." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who worked with ovens or furnaces, such as a baker or a blacksmith.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Pecina date back to the 13th century in various regions of what is now the Czech Republic. In some historical records, the name is spelled slightly differently, such as "Peczyna" or "Pečina," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
One notable historical reference to the name Pecina can be found in a document from the 14th century, which mentions a man named Jan Pecina who was a prominent landowner in the town of Čáslav. This record provides evidence that the name was well-established in the region by the late Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, a man named Mikuláš Pecina (birth and death dates unknown) was recorded as being a respected scholar and author of several theological works. He was based in Prague, which was a major center of learning and culture at the time.
Another notable bearer of the Pecina surname was Jakub Pecina (1565-1629), a Czech nobleman and military commander who served during the Thirty Years' War. He played a role in several significant battles and was known for his bravery and strategic skills.
In more recent centuries, the name Pecina has been carried by several notable individuals, including:
1. Josef Pecina (1832-1897), a Czech painter and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life.
2. Antonín Pecina (1874-1949), a Czech architect who designed numerous buildings in Prague and other cities in the early 20th century.
3. Karel Pecina (1895-1962), a Czech footballer who played as a defender for several clubs in the 1920s and 1930s, including Sparta Prague.
4. Jaroslav Pecina (1920-1997), a Czech actor and director who appeared in numerous films and theater productions throughout his career.
5. Jindřich Pecina (1932-2022), a Czech politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechoslovakia from 1988 to 1989, during the final years of the communist regime.
While the Pecina surname is relatively uncommon outside of the Czech Republic, its long history and presence in various historical records reflect its deep roots in the region and its enduring legacy as a distinctly Czech name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pecina
Among Census respondents with the surname Pecina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pecina 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 Pecina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 2,539
- White9.2% · 262
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- Two or more races0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pecina
Pecina 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
#11,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,842
+976 bearers (+52.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 3,480 places
2020
#10,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,834
-8 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,622 | 1,866 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,142 | 2,842 | 0.96 | +976 bearers (+52.3%) | Up 3,480 places |
| 2020 | #10,755 | 2,834 | 0.95 | -8 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 387 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 Pecina 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 | #11,142 | #10,755 | 3.5% |
| Count | 2,842 | 2,834 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.95 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pecina bearers went from 2,842 to 2,834 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 387 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,142 to #10,755.
FAQ
Pecina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pecina?
Name Census estimates that about 3,250 living Americans carry the surname Pecina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,463 residents.
How common is Pecina?
Pecina ranks #10,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,834 people with the surname Pecina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,250), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Pecina.
Has Pecina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pecina went from 2,842 recorded bearers to 2,834. That is a decrease of 8 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,142 to #10,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Pecina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pecina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Pecina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pecina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.6%), White (9.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Pecina (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 Pecina mean?
A Czech and Slovak occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who worked at a bakery. 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 Pecina (0.95 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 Pecina?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.