2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pesik
A surname of Polish origin possibly derived from the word "pies" meaning dog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Pesik. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pesik 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Pesik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesik, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pesik
The surname Pesik is of Slavic origin, believed to have originated in the region of present-day Poland and the Czech Republic during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Slavic word "pes," meaning "dog," possibly indicating an occupation or personal characteristic associated with dogs or hunting.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pesik can be traced back to a 13th-century manuscript from the town of Krakow, where a certain Piotr Pesik was mentioned as a local hunter. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for those involved in hunting or dog-handling activities.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records from the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. A notable figure from this time was Jan Pesik, a nobleman and landowner who lived in the town of Opava between 1428 and 1492.
During the 16th century, the Pesik surname spread to other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including present-day Slovakia and Ukraine. In 1567, a record from the town of Lviv (then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) mentions a merchant named Andrei Pesik, who traded in textiles and spices.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the Russian Empire, where it was often spelled as "Pesikhov" or "Pesikov." One notable bearer of this name was Ivan Pesikov, a Cossack leader who fought against the Crimean Khanate in the late 1600s.
Another prominent figure was Stanislav Pesik, a Czech artist and painter who lived in Prague from 1784 to 1853. His works, depicting scenes from everyday life and landscapes, are now housed in various museums across the Czech Republic.
Throughout history, the Pesik surname has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, from hunters and merchants to artists and military leaders, reflecting the diverse origins and meanings of this name across different regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pesik
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesik, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pesik 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 Pesik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.1% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pesik
Pesik 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,460 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-14 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,460 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 9,804 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 Pesik 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 | #146,201 | #156,005 | -6.7% |
| Count | 113 | 99 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pesik bearers went from 113 to 99 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 9,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #156,005.
FAQ
Pesik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pesik?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Pesik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Pesik?
Pesik ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Pesik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pesik.
Has Pesik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pesik went from 113 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Pesik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesik, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Pesik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pesik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Pesik (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 Pesik mean?
A surname of Polish origin possibly derived from the word "pies" meaning dog. 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 Pesik (0.03 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 Pesik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.