2000
#6,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Pigg
An English occupational surname referring to a person who herded pigs or worked with pigs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,611 Americans carry the last name Pigg. That puts it at #7,916 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,334 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pigg 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 Pigg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,334
Census rank
#7,916
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,021 bearers of the surname Pigg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7916th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pigg
The surname Pigg originates from England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "picg," which means "pig" or "piglet." This occupational surname was likely given to someone who raised or traded pigs for a living.
The name Pigg can be found in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is recorded as "Pigge." It is also present in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which lists individuals with the name "Pygge" and "Pygg."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname is Robert Pigge, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1275. Another early bearer of the name was Willelmus Pigge, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301.
In the 14th century, the name Pigg appeared in various place names, such as Piggescroft (Pigscroft) in Yorkshire, which is derived from the Old English words "picg" and "croft," meaning "pig enclosure."
During the 16th century, the name Pigg was found in several records, including the Wills and Inventories of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury in 1570, where a person named Thomas Pigge was mentioned.
One notable individual with the surname Pigg was John Pigg, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1753 to 1830. He served as the Rector of Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire and was also a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Pigg, a British architect who lived from 1776 to 1841. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Opera Arcade and the Haymarket Theatre.
In the 19th century, the surname Pigg was found in various records, such as the 1841 Census of England and Wales, which listed several individuals with this name residing in different parts of the country.
Other historical figures with the surname Pigg include William Pigg, an English soldier who served in the Crimean War (1853-1856), and George Pigg, a British explorer and naturalist who lived from 1810 to 1892 and traveled extensively in South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pigg
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pigg 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 Pigg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 3,523
- Black or African American5.3% · 214
- Two or more races3.6% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pigg
Pigg 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
#7,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,349
-207 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 821 places
2020
#7,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,021
-328 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,812 | 4,556 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,633 | 4,349 | 1.47 | -207 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 821 places |
| 2020 | #7,916 | 4,021 | 1.35 | -328 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 283 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 Pigg 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 | #7,633 | #7,916 | -3.7% |
| Count | 4,349 | 4,021 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.35 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pigg bearers went from 4,349 to 4,021 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 283 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,633 to #7,916.
FAQ
Pigg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pigg?
Name Census estimates that about 4,611 living Americans carry the surname Pigg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,334 residents.
How common is Pigg?
Pigg ranks #7,916 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,021 people with the surname Pigg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,611), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Pigg.
Has Pigg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pigg went from 4,349 recorded bearers to 4,021. That is a decrease of 328 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,633 to #7,916.
What does the Census say about the background of Pigg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Pigg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (3,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pigg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Pigg (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 Pigg mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who herded pigs or worked with pigs. 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 Pigg (1.35 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 Pigg?
See how many people have the last name Pigg on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.