Find out how popular the last name Pike is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pike.

Pike, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pike surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pike in America

Pike is the 1318th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pike surname appeared 26,655 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Pike.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pike to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pike

The surname PIKE originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "pic," meaning a pointed hill or peak, referring to someone who lived near a prominent hill or peak.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de la Pyke." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone residing near a specific landmark known as "the Pike."

The PIKE surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pica" and "Pice." This indicates that the name was already present in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "atte Pike," "de la Pyke," and "Pyke." These variations suggest that the name was initially used as a descriptive term before becoming a hereditary surname.

One notable figure with the PIKE surname was William Pike (1561-1625), an English navigator and explorer who participated in several voyages to the Americas and the West Indies. He is credited with discovering and naming the Straits of Anian, now known as the Bering Strait.

Another prominent individual was Zebulon Pike (1779-1813), an American explorer and military officer. He is best known for leading two significant expeditions, the first to explore the Mississippi River and the second to explore the southwestern part of the Louisiana Purchase, during which he discovered Pike's Peak in Colorado.

In the literary world, Albert Pike (1809-1891) was an American author, poet, and prominent figure in the Freemasons. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including philosophy, ethics, and Freemasonry.

Samuel Pike (1735-1818) was a British explorer and naval officer who is known for his exploration of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands in the late 18th century. He also played a role in the establishment of British settlements in Australia.

Finally, Thomas Pike (1615-1696) was an English philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on natural philosophy and religion. He is particularly known for his work "A Compleat Body of Philosophy," published in 1678.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pike

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pike.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pike was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pike has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pike was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pike, please contact us.

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