2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pigula
A surname derived from the Polish word 'pigułka' meaning pill or tablet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Pigula. 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 Pigula 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 Pigula 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 Pigula, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pigula
The surname PIGULA is of Polish origin, tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "pigula," which means "pill" or "pellet," suggesting a connection to the medical or pharmaceutical profession. The name may have originated in the regions of Greater Poland and Silesia, where many Polish surnames emerged during this period.
The earliest recorded instance of the PIGULA surname can be found in the 1564 tax records of the town of Poznan, where a certain Jan Pigula is listed as a resident. This suggests that individuals with this surname were present in the area during the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the PIGULA name appears in the parish records of the village of Krotoszyn, located in the Wielkopolska region of Poland. A notable figure from this time was Bartlomiej Pigula, a local landowner and farmer who was born in 1612 and passed away in 1687.
During the 18th century, the PIGULA surname gained some prominence in the city of Krakow, where a merchant named Jakub Pigula (1725-1792) operated a successful trading business. His sons, Stanislaw (1755-1818) and Jan (1760-1832), continued the family's commercial ventures.
In the 19th century, the PIGULA name spread to other regions of Poland, and some individuals with this surname began to emigrate to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable figure was Franciszek Pigula (1824-1894), a Polish-born sculptor who settled in Paris and gained recognition for his works commissioned by the French government.
Another individual of note was Kazimierz Pigula (1886-1957), a Polish artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. He was born in the town of Tarnow and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow before establishing himself as a respected artist in his homeland.
While the PIGULA surname is not among the most common in Poland, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the 16th century. The name's connection to the medical or pharmaceutical field and its presence in various regions of Poland make it a distinctive and intriguing part of the country's onomastic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pigula
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigula, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pigula 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 Pigula surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 105
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pigula
Pigula 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,028 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 15,028 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 2,130 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 Pigula 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 | #153,769 | #151,639 | 1.4% |
| Count | 106 | 107 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pigula bearers went from 106 to 107 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 2,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #151,639.
FAQ
Pigula surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pigula?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Pigula. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Pigula?
Pigula 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 Pigula. 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 Pigula.
Has Pigula become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pigula went from 106 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Pigula?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pigula, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pigula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pigula appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pigula (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 Pigula mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word 'pigułka' meaning pill or tablet. 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 Pigula (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 Pigula?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.