2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pigsley
An English surname derived from a place name combining the elements "pigges" meaning pigs and "lēah" meaning meadow or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Pigsley. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pigsley 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Pigsley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pigsley
The surname Pigsley is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "picg" and "leah," which together translate to "pig's meadow" or "pig's clearing." This suggests that the name initially referred to a person who resided near or worked on land associated with pigs or pigsties.
Pigsley is first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a landowner named Radulfus de Piggesleah, indicating that the name was already in use during the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Pigsley name was Sir John Pigsley, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. Another notable figure was William Pigsley, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who was active in the late 15th century and left a substantial inheritance to charitable causes upon his death in 1492.
In the 16th century, the Pigsley family established roots in the county of Gloucestershire, where they held estates and lands. Thomas Pigsley (1523-1591) was a prominent landowner in the village of Painswick, and his son, also named Thomas (1560-1632), served as a member of Parliament for the borough of Cirencester.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Captain Richard Pigsley (1607-1672) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was commended for his bravery at the Battle of Naseby in 1645. After the Restoration, his grandson, John Pigsley (1650-1724), became a successful lawyer and was appointed as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.
Moving into the 18th century, the Pigsley name remained associated with various locations in Gloucestershire, such as Pigsley Green and Pigsley Farm, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and geographical features related to pigs or pigsties.
While not as prominent in more recent centuries, the Pigsley surname has persisted throughout England, with several individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, including academia, politics, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pigsley
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pigsley 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 Pigsley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 97
- Two or more races12.1% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pigsley
Pigsley 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+28 bearers (+25.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 15,209 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-22 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | +28 bearers (+25.5%) | Up 15,209 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 20,480 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 Pigsley 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 | #124,548 | #145,028 | -16.4% |
| Count | 138 | 116 | -15.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pigsley bearers went from 138 to 116 (-15.9% change). The surname moved down 20,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #145,028.
FAQ
Pigsley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pigsley?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Pigsley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Pigsley?
Pigsley ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Pigsley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Pigsley.
Has Pigsley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pigsley went from 138 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 22 (-15.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Pigsley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Pigsley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pigsley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Two or More Races (12.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Pigsley (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 Pigsley mean?
An English surname derived from a place name combining the elements "pigges" meaning pigs and "lēah" meaning meadow or clearing. 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 Pigsley (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 are called Pigsley?
You can see how common the surname Pigsley is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.