Find out how popular the last name Pillis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pillis.
A surname of Estonian origin, possibly derived from the word "pill" meaning "feather" or "plume".
Pillis, 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 Pillis surname is from the 2010 census data.
Pillis is the 146201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Pillis surname appeared 113 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pillis.
We can also compare 2010 data for Pillis 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 146201 | 135837 | 7.35% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | -0.88% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.00% |
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.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pillis.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pillis was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.58% | 108 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 0.00% | 0 |
| Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Pillis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.58% | 96.49% | -0.95% |
| Black | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Pillis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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