2000
#1,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,552
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.33
Uncommon Last name
Pickett
An occupational surname for someone who lived near a pointed hill or worked as a maker of picks or spears.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,668 Americans carry the last name Pickett. That puts it at #1,137 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,887 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pickett 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pickett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
35K
1 in 9,887
Census rank
#1,137
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,232 bearers of the surname Pickett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1137th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickett, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pickett
The surname Pickett is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the 11th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "pic," which means a sharp point or pick, and the diminutive suffix "-ett." It was likely an occupational name for someone who worked with a pick or pickaxe, perhaps in mining or construction.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pickett can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pichet." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name was spelled in various ways, including "Piket," "Pyket," and "Pykett." This variation in spelling was common during this period, as standardized spellings were not yet established.
The Pickett surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Pickett's Cross in Shropshire and Pickett's Hill in Hertfordshire. These place names may have been derived from the surname or vice versa.
One notable bearer of the Pickett surname was Sir John Pickett (c. 1555-1616), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Pickett (1758-1838), an American military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
George Edward Pickett (1825-1875) was a famous Confederate general during the American Civil War, best known for leading the ill-fated Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. This charge, which resulted in devastating losses for the Confederate forces, is considered one of the turning points of the war.
William Pickett (1870-1932) was a renowned American rodeo cowboy and one of the most famous individuals to bear the Pickett surname. He is credited with inventing the rodeo event known as "bulldogging," which involves wrestling a steer to the ground.
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Digby Pickett (1857-1915), a British civil servant and colonial administrator who served as the Chief Secretary of Malta and the Governor of Hong Kong in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pickett
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickett, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pickett 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 Pickett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.5% · 18,882
- Black or African American29.0% · 8,761
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,329
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 973
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 140
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pickett
Pickett 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
#1,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,611
+1,059 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 10.72
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,232
-1,379 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 10.11
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,046 | 30,552 | 11.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,108 | 31,611 | 10.72 | +1,059 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,137 | 30,232 | 10.11 | -1,379 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 29 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 Pickett 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 | #1,108 | #1,137 | -2.6% |
| Count | 31,611 | 30,232 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 10.72 | 10.11 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pickett bearers went from 31,611 to 30,232 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,108 to #1,137.
FAQ
Pickett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pickett?
Name Census estimates that about 34,668 living Americans carry the surname Pickett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,887 residents.
How common is Pickett?
Pickett ranks #1,137 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,232 people with the surname Pickett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,668), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Pickett.
Has Pickett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pickett went from 31,611 recorded bearers to 30,232. That is a decrease of 1,379 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,108 to #1,137.
What does the Census say about the background of Pickett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickett, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Pickett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.5% (18,882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pickett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.5%), Black (29.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Pickett (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 Pickett mean?
An occupational surname for someone who lived near a pointed hill or worked as a maker of picks or spears. 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 Pickett (10.11 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 Pickett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.