2000
#2,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,597
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.78
Uncommon Last name
Pickens
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a pointed hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,255 Americans carry the last name Pickens. That puts it at #2,229 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pickens 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
18K
1 in 18,776
Census rank
#2,229
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,919 bearers of the surname Pickens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2229th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickens, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.8%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pickens
The surname "Pickens" is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "pic" meaning "a sharp point" or "peak," and the suffix "-en," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name likely originated as a place name, referring to a person who lived near a pointed hill or a place with a distinct peak.
The earliest recorded use of the name "Pickens" can be traced back to the early 13th century in Yorkshire, England, where it appeared as "de Pycken" in the Feet of Fines records of 1202. This spelling variation, "de Pycken," further supports the idea that the name originated as a place name, with "de" meaning "of" or "from."
In the 14th century, the name was recorded as "Pyken" in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, indicating a simplification of the spelling over time. During this period, the surname was also found in other regions of England, such as Suffolk and Nottinghamshire, suggesting the spread of the name across the country.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname "Pickens" was John Pickens, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Pickens, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 15th century and served as a knight during the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Pickins," "Pyckens," and "Pykens," reflecting the inconsistencies in standardized spelling during that time. One individual of note was William Pickens, born around 1530 in Oxfordshire, who was a prominent merchant and landowner.
During the 17th century, the surname "Pickens" was found in several parish records across England, including in Lancashire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. A notable bearer of the name was Thomas Pickens, born in 1624 in Derbyshire, who was a Puritan minister and author.
In the 18th century, the name continued to be prevalent in various regions of England, and several individuals with the surname "Pickens" made their mark in various fields. One such person was Andrew Pickens, born in 1739 in Pennsylvania, who was a prominent military officer and statesman during the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout its history, the surname "Pickens" has maintained a strong presence in England, while also being carried by individuals who emigrated to other parts of the world, including the Americas and Australia. Despite variations in spelling, the name's origins can be traced back to the Old English word "pic" and its association with a specific place or location.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pickens
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickens, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.8%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pickens 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 Pickens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.8% · 8,561
- Black or African American37.7% · 6,007
- Two or more races4.7% · 755
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 412
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 80
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pickens
Pickens 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
#2,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,577
+980 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 5.62
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#2,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,919
-658 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.33
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,133 | 15,597 | 5.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,195 | 16,577 | 5.62 | +980 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #2,229 | 15,919 | 5.33 | -658 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 34 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 Pickens 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 | #2,195 | #2,229 | -1.5% |
| Count | 16,577 | 15,919 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.62 | 5.33 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pickens bearers went from 16,577 to 15,919 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,195 to #2,229.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pickens
FAQ
Pickens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pickens?
Name Census estimates that about 18,255 living Americans carry the surname Pickens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,776 residents.
How common is Pickens?
Pickens ranks #2,229 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,919 people with the surname Pickens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,255), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Pickens.
Has Pickens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pickens went from 16,577 recorded bearers to 15,919. That is a decrease of 658 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,195 to #2,229.
What does the Census say about the background of Pickens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickens, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.8%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Pickens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.8% (8,561 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pickens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.8%), Black (37.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Pickens (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 Pickens mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a pointed hill" in Old English. 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 Pickens (5.33 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 are called Pickens?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Pickens at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.