2000
#73,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 244
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Pinchot
A French surname derived from the Old French word "pinson", meaning a small finch or sparrow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 297 Americans carry the last name Pinchot. That puts it at #79,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,154,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pinchot 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
297
1 in 1,154,055
Census rank
#79,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
259
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 259 bearers of the surname Pinchot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinchot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pinchot
The surname Pinchot originates from France, with records indicating its presence as early as the 16th century. The name likely derives from the Old French word "pincher," meaning "to pinch" or "to pluck," suggesting a possible occupation or descriptive origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pinchot name appears in the Armorial Général de France, a collection of French family coats of arms compiled in the late 17th century. The entry for the Pinchot family indicates their presence in the region of Champagne.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Pinchot surname was Pierre Pinchot, a French Revolutionary and member of the National Convention. He was born in 1756 and played a role in the events surrounding the French Revolution.
As the Pinchot family migrated, the name took on various spellings, such as Pinchaud and Pinchart. One notable individual was Constance Pinchot, a French-American lawyer and activist born in 1865. She was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement and worked tirelessly for equal rights.
Another distinguished Pinchot was Gifford Pinchot, an American forester and politician born in 1865. He was the first chief of the United States Forest Service and a prominent advocate for conservation efforts. Pinchot's influence extended to the creation of several national forests and the establishment of sustainable forestry practices.
In the literary realm, the Pinchot name found recognition with Ann Pinchot, an American author and journalist born in 1939. She gained acclaim for her novels and non-fiction works exploring themes of family dynamics and personal growth.
While the Pinchot surname originated in France, it has since spread across various regions and gained prominence through the achievements of individuals bearing this name throughout history, leaving an indelible mark on fields ranging from politics and conservation to literature and activism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pinchot
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinchot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pinchot 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 Pinchot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 243
- Two or more races3.9% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pinchot
Pinchot 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
#72,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 268
+24 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 1,363 places
2020
#79,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 259
-9 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 6,777 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,931 | 244 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #72,568 | 268 | 0.09 | +24 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,363 places |
| 2020 | #79,345 | 259 | 0.09 | -9 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 6,777 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 Pinchot 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 | #72,568 | #79,345 | -9.3% |
| Count | 268 | 259 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pinchot bearers went from 268 to 259 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 6,777 positions in the national ranking, going from #72,568 to #79,345.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pinchot
FAQ
Pinchot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pinchot?
Name Census estimates that about 297 living Americans carry the surname Pinchot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,154,055 residents.
How common is Pinchot?
Pinchot ranks #79,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 259 people with the surname Pinchot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Pinchot.
Has Pinchot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pinchot went from 268 recorded bearers to 259. That is a decrease of 9 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #72,568 to #79,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Pinchot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinchot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Pinchot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pinchot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Pinchot (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 Pinchot mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "pinson", meaning a small finch or sparrow. 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 Pinchot (0.09 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 Pinchot?
See how many Americans have the surname Pinchot on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.