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

Pilot, 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 Pilot surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pilot in America

Pilot is the 18423rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pilot surname appeared 1,503 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 Pilot.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pilot 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 Pilot

The surname PILOT is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "pilot" meaning "pilot" or "helmsman". This occupational surname was given to individuals who worked as pilots or helmsmen on boats and ships.

The name first appeared in records during the 12th century in the coastal regions of northern France, particularly in areas like Normandy and Brittany, where maritime activities were prevalent. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by those who navigated vessels along the coastlines and rivers of these regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PILOT can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres" (Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Père de Chartres), a collection of medieval documents dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Guillelmus Pilot" who lived in the region of Chartres, France.

During the 13th century, the surname PILOT appeared in various records across northern France. Notable examples include Jean Pilot, a merchant from Rouen, mentioned in the "Rôles de l'Échiquier de Normandie" (Rolls of the Exchequer of Normandy) in 1248, and Renaud Pilot, a landowner from Caen, whose name is recorded in the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Caen" (Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Étienne de Caen) in 1274.

One of the earliest known bearers of the PILOT surname was Guillaume Pilot, a French navigator and explorer who participated in several voyages to the New World in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He accompanied explorers like Jacques Cartier and is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot in what is now Canada.

Another notable figure with the PILOT surname was Jacques Pilot, a French lawyer and jurist who lived in the 16th century. He served as a councillor in the Parlement of Paris and was known for his legal writings and contributions to the development of French law during the Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, the PILOT surname spread to other parts of Europe, including England and the Netherlands, as French immigrants and refugees settled in these regions. One notable example is Jacobus Pilot, a Dutch painter and engraver who was born in Amsterdam in 1635 and is known for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting Dutch cities.

The surname PILOT has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Pilot-de-Tille, a commune in the Côte-d'Or department, and Pilot, a village in the Allier department. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the PILOT surname who lived or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pilot

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

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

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

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