2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pigors
A surname derived from an Old French personal name, potentially related to the word "pigeon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Pigors. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pigors 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Pigors in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigors, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pigors
The surname Pigors is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Somerset, particularly in the areas around the town of Bridgwater. The name is derived from the Old English words "pyg" meaning a small hill or mound, and "ora" meaning a bank or slope.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pigors can be found in the Feet of Fines for Somerset, a collection of legal records from 1196 to 1307. In 1225, a William Pigors is mentioned as owning land near the village of Nether Stowey.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with variants such as Pyghors, Pyggors, and Pygors appearing in various medieval records. The Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327 list a John Pyghors, while the Poll Tax Returns for Yorkshire in 1379 include a Robert Pygors.
Pigors is also found in the famous Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. A entry for Dorset mentions a landowner named Alwin Pigors, suggesting the name's presence in the region during the Norman period.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Pigors was Sir Thomas Pigors (c. 1475 - 1542), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1536 and was knighted by King Henry VIII.
Another prominent figure was Elizabeth Pigors (1584 - 1658), an English Puritan writer and religious leader. She authored several influential works on Puritan theology and was a prominent figure in the Puritan movement during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, John Pigors (1620 - 1689) was a respected scholar and clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Michael's Church in Coventry. He wrote extensively on theological matters and was known for his eloquent sermons.
During the 18th century, William Pigors (1712 - 1781) was a successful businessman and landowner in the county of Gloucestershire. He was a prominent figure in local politics and served as a magistrate for many years.
In more recent times, the name Pigors has been associated with the influential Pigors family of Somerset, who were prominent landowners and industrialists during the 19th century. Robert Pigors (1825 - 1896) was a respected engineer and inventor who held several patents for innovations in the textile industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pigors
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigors, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pigors 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 Pigors surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 5
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pigors
Pigors 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,777 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 14,777 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 6,419 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 Pigors 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 | #145,220 | #151,639 | -4.4% |
| Count | 114 | 107 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pigors bearers went from 114 to 107 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 6,419 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #151,639.
FAQ
Pigors surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pigors?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Pigors. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Pigors?
Pigors ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Pigors. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pigors.
Has Pigors become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pigors went from 114 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Pigors?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigors, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) 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 Pigors in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pigors appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%), 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 Pigors (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 Pigors mean?
A surname derived from an Old French personal name, potentially related to the word "pigeon". 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 Pigors (0.04 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 Pigors?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.