2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pilarcik
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "pilarz" meaning sawyer or lumberjack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Pilarcik. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pilarcik 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Pilarcik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pilarcik, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pilarcik
The surname Pilarcik is of Slovak origin, and it first emerged in the regions of modern-day Slovakia sometime in the late medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Slovak word "pilár," which means "sawyer" or "woodcutter," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname may have worked in the forestry or lumber industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pilarcik surname can be found in the Slovak National Archives, where a document dated 1548 mentions a certain "Ján Pilarcik" from the village of Stará Lesná. This village, located in the Tatra Mountains region of northern Slovakia, was known for its rich timber resources and thriving woodworking traditions, lending further credence to the name's occupational origins.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pilarcik surname began to spread across various parts of Slovakia, as well as neighboring regions of modern-day Poland and Hungary. During this period, the spelling of the name varied slightly, with forms such as "Pilarczik" and "Pilarcsik" appearing in historical records.
One notable bearer of the Pilarcik surname was Michal Pilarcik (1744-1819), a Slovak carpenter and woodcarver who gained recognition for his intricate and skillfully crafted altarpieces and church decorations. His works can still be found in several churches throughout the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia.
Another prominent figure was Ján Pilarcik (1823-1905), a Slovak writer and educator who played a significant role in promoting Slovak language and culture during the 19th century. He authored several textbooks and literary works, contributing to the preservation and dissemination of the Slovak language and traditions.
In the early 20th century, the Pilarcik surname made its way to the United States through Slovak immigrant communities. One notable American with this surname was Frank Pilarcik (1903-1980), a professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox during the 1920s and 1930s.
Another individual of note was Anna Pilarcik (1890-1968), a Slovak-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the experiences of Slovak immigrants in the United States. Her book "The Slovak Americans" is considered a seminal work on the history and culture of this immigrant community.
Throughout its history, the Pilarcik surname has remained closely tied to its Slovak roots and the legacy of woodworking and forestry traditions that gave rise to its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pilarcik
Among Census respondents with the surname Pilarcik, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Pilarcik 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 Pilarcik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pilarcik
Pilarcik 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,453 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-9 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,650 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 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,453 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 9,650 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 Pilarcik 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 | #138,304 | #147,954 | -7.0% |
| Count | 121 | 112 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pilarcik bearers went from 121 to 112 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 9,650 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #147,954.
FAQ
Pilarcik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pilarcik?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Pilarcik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Pilarcik?
Pilarcik ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Pilarcik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Pilarcik.
Has Pilarcik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pilarcik went from 121 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Pilarcik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pilarcik, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Pilarcik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pilarcik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Pilarcik (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 Pilarcik mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "pilarz" meaning sawyer or lumberjack. 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 Pilarcik (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 common is the surname Pilarcik?
See how common the surname Pilarcik is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.