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

Pilkington, 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 Pilkington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pilkington in America

Pilkington is the 7660th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pilkington surname appeared 4,336 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pilkington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pilkington 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 Pilkington

The surname Pilkington is of English origin, deriving from a habitation name in Lancashire. It is believed to have originated from the Old English elements "pill" or "pylly", meaning a stream or brook, and "ing", meaning a meadow or enclosure. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or brook in a meadow.

The earliest known record of the surname dates back to the 13th century, with a Gilbert de Pilkynton mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246. The Pilkington family was well-established in the area, particularly around the town of Bury, Lancashire.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a place called "Pilkintone" is recorded, which is believed to be the earliest known mention of the place name from which the surname derives. This place name evolved into various spellings over time, including Pylkynton, Pilkyngton, and eventually the modern Pilkington.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Pilkington was Sir John Pilkington (c. 1281-1349), a prominent English knight who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire and fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under Edward I and Edward II.

Another notable figure was James Pilkington (c. 1520-1576), an English bishop who served as the Bishop of Durham during the reign of Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the English Reformation and was a influential Protestant theologian.

Sir Thomas Pilkington (c. 1628-1691) was an English baronet and Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reign of Charles II. He was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War and was known for his support of the monarchy.

In the literary world, Mary Pilkington (c. 1766-1839) was an Irish novelist and poet who wrote several popular works, including "The Human Heart" and "The Narrative of a Recent Journey."

Lastly, Sir Andrew Pilkington (1857-1925) was a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Blackburn and was knighted for his contributions to industry and public service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pilkington

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

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 Pilkington 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 Pilkington 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 Pilkington was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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