2000
#15,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Piche
A French occupational surname for one who collected resin or pitch from pine trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,121 Americans carry the last name Piche. That puts it at #15,281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piche 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
2.1K
1 in 161,600
Census rank
#15,281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,850 bearers of the surname Piche in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piche, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piche
The surname "Piche" has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. The name is believed to have derived from the Old French word "picher," which means "to peck" or "to strike," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have worked as woodpeckers or carpenters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Piche" can be found in the Gascon region of southwestern France, where a family bearing this name was documented in the 14th century. The name may have also been associated with the town of Picherande, located in the Auvergne region, which could have contributed to its spread and adoption.
In the 16th century, the name "Piche" appeared in various historical records, including tax rolls and parish registers. Notably, in 1568, a certain Pierre Piche was recorded as a resident of the town of Brive-la-Gaillarde in the Corrèze department.
As the name became more widespread, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as "Picher," "Pichey," and "Pichier." These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the scribes who recorded them.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Piche." One such person was Jean-Baptiste Piche (1714-1784), a French soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization of Louisiana and the exploration of the Mississippi River.
Another prominent figure was Étienne Piche (1771-1853), a French-Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1808 to 1810.
In the 19th century, Auguste Piche (1834-1911) was a renowned Canadian architect who designed several notable buildings in Montreal, including the École Polytechnique and the Basilica of St. Patrick.
Additionally, Félix Piche (1875-1924) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1924.
Lastly, Édouard Piche (1885-1976) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1935 to 1939.
While the surname "Piche" has since spread to various parts of the world, its roots can be traced back to the rich history and culture of medieval France, where it first emerged as a distinctive family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piche
Among Census respondents with the surname Piche, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Piche 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 Piche surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 1,413
- Hispanic or Latino18.0% · 333
- Two or more races3.5% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 22
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piche
Piche 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
#14,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,025
+240 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 468 places
2020
#15,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,850
-175 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,154 | 1,785 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,686 | 2,025 | 0.69 | +240 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 468 places |
| 2020 | #15,281 | 1,850 | 0.62 | -175 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 595 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 Piche 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 | #14,686 | #15,281 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,025 | 1,850 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.62 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piche bearers went from 2,025 to 1,850 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 595 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,686 to #15,281.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Piche
FAQ
Piche surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piche?
Name Census estimates that about 2,121 living Americans carry the surname Piche. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,600 residents.
How common is Piche?
Piche ranks #15,281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,850 people with the surname Piche. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Piche.
Has Piche become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piche went from 2,025 recorded bearers to 1,850. That is a decrease of 175 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,686 to #15,281.
What does the Census say about the background of Piche?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piche, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Piche in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (1,413 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piche appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Hispanic (18.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Piche (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 Piche mean?
A French occupational surname for one who collected resin or pitch from pine trees. 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 Piche (0.62 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 common is the surname Piche?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Piche at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.