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

Pick, 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 Pick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pick in America

Pick is the 9451st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pick surname appeared 3,442 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pick 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 Pick

The surname Pick is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English pre-7th century word "pic", meaning a pickaxe or a mattock, which was a tool used for digging or breaking up hard ground. The name is believed to have been an occupational surname, given to someone who worked as a laborer or digger, likely in mining or construction.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Pick is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1166, where it is listed as "Pik". This is one of the earliest records of surnames in England, as hereditary surnames were not widely used until after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name appears as "le Pyk", indicating that it was a descriptive surname referring to someone who used a pickaxe or mattock in their occupation. The earliest recorded instances of the name in its modern spelling, "Pick", date back to the late 13th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Pick was John Pick, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Pick, mentioned in the Patent Rolls of 1396 for Warwickshire.

In the 16th century, the surname Pick began to be associated with specific locations, such as Pickworth in Lincolnshire and Pickhill in Yorkshire. These place names may have derived from the same Old English root as the surname, indicating areas where people worked as diggers or miners.

Notable historical figures with the surname Pick include Sir Robert Pick (1609-1679), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett in the 17th century. Another prominent individual was John Pick (1737-1805), an English engraver and painter who is known for his portraits and illustrations of literary works.

In the 19th century, George Pick (1815-1901) was a distinguished English historian and theologian who served as a professor at Owens College, now the University of Manchester. Meanwhile, Frederick Pick (1886-1944) was a German-born American composer and music educator who taught at the University of Chicago and wrote several operas and orchestral works.

William Pick (1892-1971) was a British artist and illustrator who is best known for his illustrations of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His intricate drawings and paintings helped bring Middle-earth to life for countless readers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pick

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

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

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

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