2000
#34,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 614
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Pikula
A Polish or Slavic surname possibly derived from the word "pike", referring to the spearlike weapon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 777 Americans carry the last name Pikula. That puts it at #35,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 441,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pikula 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
777
1 in 441,125
Census rank
#35,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
678
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 678 bearers of the surname Pikula in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pikula, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pikula
The surname PIKULA is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Silesian region of Poland, with records indicating that it was derived from the Old Polish word "pikula," which referred to a type of small pike fish.
One of the earliest known references to the PIKULA surname can be found in the Cedynia Parish records from the town of Cedynia, located in the modern-day West Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. These records, dating back to the late 1400s, mention a certain "Johannes Pikula" as a resident of the town.
The PIKULA name appears to have spread throughout various regions of Poland in the following centuries. In the 16th century, there are records of individuals bearing this surname in the towns of Krakow and Poznan, suggesting that the name had become more widespread by that time.
During the 17th century, the PIKULA surname can be found in the records of the Gdansk region, which was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time. One notable individual from this period was Jan PIKULA (1620-1689), a merchant and landowner in the city of Gdansk.
In the 18th century, the PIKULA name gained further prominence with the birth of Jakub PIKULA (1738-1801), a Polish military officer who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's armed forces and participated in the Kosciuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794.
Another prominent figure with the PIKULA surname was Ludwik PIKULA (1824-1899), a Polish architect and urban planner who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city of Warsaw during the late 19th century.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the PIKULA surname was Waclaw PIKULA (1909-1992), a Polish writer and journalist who gained recognition for his works on Polish history and culture.
Throughout its history, the PIKULA surname has maintained its roots in Poland, with various branches and variations emerging over time. While the name has spread to other parts of the world due to migration, its origins can be traced back to the Silesian region and the Old Polish word "pikula," reflecting the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pikula
Among Census respondents with the surname Pikula, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pikula 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 Pikula surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 560
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.7% · 52
- Two or more races4.7% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pikula
Pikula 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
#35,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 642
+28 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 297 places
2020
#35,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 678
+36 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,799 | 614 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,096 | 642 | 0.22 | +28 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 297 places |
| 2020 | #35,675 | 678 | 0.23 | +36 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 579 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 Pikula 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 | #35,096 | #35,675 | -1.6% |
| Count | 642 | 678 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.23 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pikula bearers went from 642 to 678 (+5.6% change). The surname moved down 579 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,096 to #35,675.
FAQ
Pikula surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pikula?
Name Census estimates that about 777 living Americans carry the surname Pikula. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 441,125 residents.
How common is Pikula?
Pikula ranks #35,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 678 people with the surname Pikula. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (777), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Pikula.
Has Pikula become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pikula went from 642 recorded bearers to 678. That is an increase of 36 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,096 to #35,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Pikula?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pikula, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.7%) 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 Pikula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (560 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pikula appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.7%), 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 Pikula (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 Pikula mean?
A Polish or Slavic surname possibly derived from the word "pike", referring to the spearlike weapon. 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 Pikula (0.23 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 Pikula?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.