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

Pioche, 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 Pioche surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pioche in America

Pioche is the 122314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pioche surname appeared 141 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 Pioche.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pioche 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 Pioche

The surname Pioche originated in France, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "pioche," which referred to a type of pickaxe or mattock, a tool used for breaking up hard ground or rock. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with occupations related to mining, quarrying, or construction.

The name Pioche can be traced to various regions in France, including the Normandy and Brittany areas, where it was particularly prevalent during the Middle Ages. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name appear in medieval records and charters from these regions, such as the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Fontenay" from the 12th century.

One notable historical reference to the name Pioche can be found in the "Livre d'Or de la Noblesse de la Sénéchaussée de Nîmes," a medieval French register that documented the noble families of the region. This record mentions a Jean Pioche, who lived in the 14th century and was a member of the local nobility.

In the 16th century, a prominent individual named Pierre Pioche (1515-1583) was a French Renaissance scholar and humanist. He was a professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Paris and authored several works on classical literature and philosophy.

Another notable figure was Jacques Pioche (1647-1715), a French military officer who served in the Wars of the Grand Alliance and later became the governor of the island of Grenada in the West Indies.

During the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Pioche (1723-1796) was a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur and the Théâtre de l'Odéon.

In the 19th century, François Pioche (1818-1898) was a French entrepreneur and mining magnate who made his fortune in the silver mines of Nevada, United States. He played a significant role in the development of the mining industry in the American West and founded the town of Pioche, Nevada, which was named after him.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Pioche, highlighting its French origins and diverse historical associations across different fields and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pioche

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!