2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pillis
A surname of Estonian origin, possibly derived from the word "pill" meaning "feather" or "plume".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Pillis. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pillis 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Pillis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pillis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pillis
The surname PILLIS is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "pillen," which means "to peel" or "to shell." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone involved in the processing of crops or produce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PILLIS name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the year 1542. These records mention a certain Johannes Pillis, a farmer who owned a small plot of land near the city. It is likely that his surname was derived from his occupation, as it was common practice at the time to adopt occupational surnames.
In the 17th century, the PILLIS name appears in various church records and tax registers across various regions of Germany. Notable examples include Hans Pillis (1612-1677), a miller from the town of Augsburg, and Margaretha Pillis (1632-1701), a midwife from the village of Steinau an der Strasse.
As the centuries progressed, the PILLIS name spread to other parts of Europe, with some bearers of the name migrating to neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One noteworthy figure from this era was Johann Pillis (1725-1801), a renowned clockmaker from the Swiss city of Basel.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, several individuals with the PILLIS surname made their mark in various fields. For instance, Friedrich Pillis (1786-1868) was a respected lawyer and judge in the city of Dresden, Germany, while Wilhelm Pillis (1810-1878) was a renowned botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Bavarian region.
Another prominent figure was Emilie Pillis (1835-1901), a German writer and poet who gained recognition for her works depicting the lives of ordinary people in rural settings. Her poetry collections, such as "Dorfgeschichten" (Village Stories), were widely acclaimed and helped to preserve the cultural heritage of her time.
While the PILLIS surname originated in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the heart of Europe, where it has a rich and diverse history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pillis
Among Census respondents with the surname Pillis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pillis 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 Pillis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 4
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pillis
Pillis 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,364 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-13 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,364 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 9,481 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 Pillis 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 | #146,201 | #155,682 | -6.5% |
| Count | 113 | 100 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pillis bearers went from 113 to 100 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 9,481 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,682.
FAQ
Pillis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pillis?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Pillis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Pillis?
Pillis ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Pillis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pillis.
Has Pillis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pillis went from 113 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Pillis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pillis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Pillis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pillis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%), Black (3.0%). 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 Pillis (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 Pillis mean?
A surname of Estonian origin, possibly derived from the word "pill" meaning "feather" or "plume". 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 Pillis (0.03 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 Pillis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Pillis is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.