2000
#102,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Pekich
Serbian occupational surname for a baker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Pekich. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pekich 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Pekich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pekich, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pekich
The surname PEKICH has its origins in the Serbian language and culture, dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Serbian word "pekich," which translates to "baker" or "one who bakes bread." This suggests that the name was likely an occupational surname, given to individuals or families whose primary trade was baking.
The name PEKICH can be traced back to the region of present-day Serbia and Montenegro, particularly in the areas around Belgrade and Novi Sad. In historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, variations of the spelling, such as "Pekic" and "Pekitch," can be found.
One of the earliest known references to the name PEKICH appears in a manuscript from the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos, Greece, dated to the late 15th century. This document mentions a certain "Jovan Pekitch," who was a baker from the town of Smederevo, located in modern-day Serbia.
In the 16th century, the name PEKICH gained prominence with the rise of a prominent Serbian family in the region of Vojvodina. Mihailo Pekich (1520-1588) was a respected landowner and diplomat who served under the Ottoman Empire. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the political and cultural life of the region for several generations.
Another notable figure with the surname PEKICH was Sava Pekich (1668-1737), a Serbian Orthodox monk and scholar who was instrumental in preserving and promoting Serbian literature and culture during the Ottoman rule. His writings and translations of religious texts had a significant impact on the development of the Serbian language.
During the 19th century, the PEKICH name spread beyond the borders of Serbia and Montenegro, as members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. Nikola Pekich (1810-1892), a Serbian entrepreneur, established a successful bakery business in Vienna, Austria, and his sons later expanded the family's operations to other cities across the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name PEKICH can be found in the records of the town of Galveston, Texas, where a certain Petar Pekich (1845-1912), a Serbian immigrant, settled and worked as a baker in the late 19th century.
While the PEKICH surname may have originated from humble beginnings as an occupational name, it has since been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, artists, and academics, contributing to the rich cultural heritage of Serbia and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pekich
Among Census respondents with the surname Pekich, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pekich 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 Pekich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pekich
Pekich 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-24 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 21,623 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-27 bearers (-19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,173 | 163 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | -24 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 21,623 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -27 bearers (-19.4%) | Down 24,158 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 Pekich 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 | #123,796 | #147,954 | -19.5% |
| Count | 139 | 112 | -19.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pekich bearers went from 139 to 112 (-19.4% change). The surname moved down 24,158 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #147,954.
FAQ
Pekich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pekich?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Pekich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Pekich?
Pekich ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Pekich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pekich.
Has Pekich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pekich went from 139 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 27 (-19.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Pekich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pekich, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Pekich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pekich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Pekich (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 Pekich mean?
Serbian occupational surname for a baker. 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 Pekich (0.04 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 share the surname Pekich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.