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

Pempek, 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 Pempek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pempek in America

Pempek is the 129825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pempek surname appeared 131 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pempek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pempek 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 Pempek

The surname PEMPEK has its origins in the Slavic regions of central and eastern Europe. The name likely dates back to the 9th or 10th century, derived from the Slavic word "pempek" which referred to a soft bread or pastry made from flour and water.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the PEMPEK name can be found in a 12th century manuscript from the region now known as Poland. The document lists a baker named Radek PEMPEK who was employed in the household of a local nobleman.

By the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in records across Slavic lands, including PEMPEK, PEMPKA, and PEMPKOV. These spellings often reflected the regional dialects and naming traditions of the time.

A notable historical figure bearing the PEMPEK name was Jan PEMPEK, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of Krakow, Poland, in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative trade of spices and luxury goods between Poland and the Ottoman Empire.

In the 16th century, a branch of the PEMPEK family settled in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. One member of this branch, Tomasz PEMPEK (1524-1587), was a renowned baker and confectioner who is credited with creating the traditional Silesian pastry known as the "PEMPEK."

Another notable figure was Anna PEMPEK (1602-1672), a landowner and philanthropist from the town of Bielsko, now located in southern Poland. She was known for her charitable works and for founding a hospital that served the local community.

Over the centuries, variations of the PEMPEK name spread across Europe and beyond, as families migrated and settled in new lands. By the 19th century, there were recorded instances of individuals with the surname PEMPEK living in countries as far away as the United States and Australia.

Today, the PEMPEK name continues to be found primarily in Central and Eastern European countries, as well as among descendants of Slavic immigrants in various parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pempek

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

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 Pempek 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 Pempek 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 Pempek was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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