2000
#1,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,086
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.67
Uncommon Last name
Pike
An English occupational surname referring to someone who fished with a pike or long spear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,100 Americans carry the last name Pike. That puts it at #1,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,778 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pike 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 Pike with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,778
Census rank
#1,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,377 bearers of the surname Pike in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pike, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pike
Among Census respondents with the surname Pike, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pike 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 Pike surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 22,624
- Two or more races3.6% · 913
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 821
- Black or African American2.1% · 524
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 226
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pike
Pike 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
#1,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,655
+569 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 9.04
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,377
-1,278 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 8.49
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,235 | 26,086 | 9.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,318 | 26,655 | 9.04 | +569 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,363 | 25,377 | 8.49 | -1,278 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 45 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 Pike 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 | #1,318 | #1,363 | -3.4% |
| Count | 26,655 | 25,377 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 9.04 | 8.49 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pike bearers went from 26,655 to 25,377 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,318 to #1,363.
FAQ
Pike surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pike?
Name Census estimates that about 29,100 living Americans carry the surname Pike. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,778 residents.
How common is Pike?
Pike ranks #1,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,377 people with the surname Pike. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Pike.
Has Pike become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pike went from 26,655 recorded bearers to 25,377. That is a decrease of 1,278 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,318 to #1,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Pike?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pike, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Pike in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (22,624 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pike appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Pike (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 Pike mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who fished with a pike or long spear. 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 Pike (8.49 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 last name Pike?
You can see how many people have the last name Pike on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.