2000
#35,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Pietrzyk
A Polish surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Piotr" (Peter).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 722 Americans carry the last name Pietrzyk. That puts it at #37,907 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 474,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pietrzyk 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 Pietrzyk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
722
1 in 474,729
Census rank
#37,907
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
630
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 630 bearers of the surname Pietrzyk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37907th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pietrzyk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pietrzyk
The surname Pietrzyk is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the personal name Piotr, which is the Polish variant of the name Peter. The suffix "-yk" denotes a diminutive or patronymic form, indicating "son of Piotr."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Pietrzyk can be found in historical documents from the 14th century, primarily in the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland. These areas were part of the Kingdom of Poland during that time period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Pietrzyk name was Jan Pietrzyk, a merchant from the city of Krakow, who is mentioned in a trade register from 1387. Another notable figure was Maciej Pietrzyk, a scribe and chronicler who lived in the town of Opole in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pietrzyk surname appeared in various records across Poland, such as parish registers, tax rolls, and land deeds. The name was often associated with individuals from rural areas or small towns, suggesting its origins among the peasant or artisan classes.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Pietrzyk name was Andrzej Pietrzyk, a landowner and military officer who fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794.
The 19th century saw several Pietrzyk individuals achieve prominence in various fields. Józef Pietrzyk (1805-1876) was a renowned painter and art professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Stanisław Pietrzyk (1823-1899) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Galician Diet (regional parliament).
Another noteworthy figure was Wincenty Pietrzyk (1848-1919), a Catholic priest and writer who authored several religious works and served as a parish priest in the town of Brzesko.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Pietrzyk surname was Stanisław Pietrzyk (1892-1961), a Polish engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early television technology.
Overall, the surname Pietrzyk has a rich history deeply rooted in Polish culture and tradition, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pietrzyk
Among Census respondents with the surname Pietrzyk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pietrzyk 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 Pietrzyk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 596
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 20
- Two or more races1.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pietrzyk
Pietrzyk 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
#36,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 616
+21 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 616 places
2020
#37,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 630
+14 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 1,570 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,721 | 595 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,337 | 616 | 0.21 | +21 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 616 places |
| 2020 | #37,907 | 630 | 0.21 | +14 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 1,570 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 Pietrzyk 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 | #36,337 | #37,907 | -4.3% |
| Count | 616 | 630 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pietrzyk bearers went from 616 to 630 (+2.3% change). The surname moved down 1,570 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,337 to #37,907.
FAQ
Pietrzyk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pietrzyk?
Name Census estimates that about 722 living Americans carry the surname Pietrzyk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 474,729 residents.
How common is Pietrzyk?
Pietrzyk ranks #37,907 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 630 people with the surname Pietrzyk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (722), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Pietrzyk.
Has Pietrzyk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pietrzyk went from 616 recorded bearers to 630. That is an increase of 14 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,337 to #37,907.
What does the Census say about the background of Pietrzyk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pietrzyk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Pietrzyk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pietrzyk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Pietrzyk (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 Pietrzyk mean?
A Polish surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Piotr" (Peter). 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 Pietrzyk (0.21 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 Pietrzyk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.