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

Pinckney, 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 Pinckney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pinckney in America

Pinckney is the 5147th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pinckney surname appeared 6,800 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Pinckney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pinckney 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 Pinckney

The surname PINCKNEY is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "pinc" meaning "hill" or "mound" and "ey" meaning "island." It is believed to have originated in the county of Oxfordshire, England, during the medieval period.

The earliest recorded instance of the name PINCKNEY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pinchenai," referring to a location in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name was initially a toponymic surname, derived from a place name.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Pincheneye" and "Pincheneie" in various records, reflecting the evolution of its spelling over time. During this period, several notable individuals bore the surname PINCKNEY, including Sir Robert Pinckney (c. 1230-1295), a prominent English knight and landowner.

As the name spread across England, it took on various spellings, such as "Pincknye," "Pynkney," and "Pinckney." One of the most famous bearers of the name was Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746-1825), an American politician and diplomat who served as the 37th Governor of South Carolina.

Another notable figure was William Pinckney (1670-1719), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. In the 18th century, Thomas Pinckney (1750-1828), an American soldier and diplomat, played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War and later served as the United States Minister to Spain.

The PINCKNEY surname also gained prominence in the literary world with the English poet and author Edward Coote Pinkney (1802-1828), who was known for his works such as "A Health" and "Travels in Palestine."

It is worth noting that the name PINCKNEY has been associated with several prominent families in the United States, particularly in South Carolina, where it has a long and distinguished history dating back to the colonial era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pinckney

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

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

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

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