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

Pinney, 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 Pinney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pinney in America

Pinney is the 10615th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pinney surname appeared 3,016 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 Pinney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pinney 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 Pinney

The surname Pinney is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the place known as "Pinney" or "Pynney" in Buckinghamshire, England. The name is thought to come from the Old English words "pinn" or "pyn," meaning a hill or a peak, and "ieg" or "eg," meaning an island, suggesting that the original bearer of the name may have hailed from a hilly or elevated area surrounded by water.

Historically, the surname Pinney can be found in various ancient records and documents. One of the earliest known references is in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1230, where a Robert de Pynneye is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1327 also list a John de Pynneye. These early occurrences suggest that the name was well-established in the region by the 13th and 14th centuries.

The Pinney surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was Sir John Pinney (c. 1440-1498), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London who served as Lord Mayor in 1490. Another prominent figure was Reverend John Pinney (1647-1718), a Puritan minister and author from Oxfordshire, who wrote several religious works.

In the 18th century, the Pinney family played a significant role in the development of the British West Indies. John Pinney (1721-1768) and his son John Frederick Pinney (1758-1826) were influential planters and merchants in the colony of Nevis. John Frederick Pinney served as the President of the Nevis Assembly and was a prominent figure in the Caribbean sugar trade.

Another notable bearer of the name was Brigadier General Peter Pinney (1741-1830), a British Army officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and later became the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 1804 to 1820.

In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with Charles Pinney (1793-1867), a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis from 1835 to 1847. He was also involved in various philanthropic endeavors and supported educational initiatives in Gloucestershire.

The Pinney surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergymen, planters, military officers, and politicians. While the name has its roots in Buckinghamshire, it has spread and gained prominence in different parts of England and the British colonies over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pinney

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

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

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

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