2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pirok
An Eastern European surname perhaps derived from a regional place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Pirok. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pirok 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Pirok in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pirok, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pirok
The surname PIROK is thought to have originated in Poland, with its roots tracing back to the 15th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Polish word "piroha," which refers to a type of filled dumpling or pastry. This suggests that the name may have been associated with someone who was a maker or seller of these dumplings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PIROK surname can be found in the 1564 parish records of the town of Krakow, where a certain Jan PIROK is mentioned as a resident. This provides evidence that the name was in use in Poland during the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the PIROK name appears in various Polish court documents and land records, indicating that members of this family were landowners and held positions of some prominence within their local communities.
Notable individuals with the PIROK surname include Stefan PIROK (1582-1641), a Polish poet and playwright who wrote several works in the baroque style during the early 17th century. Another prominent figure was Jadwiga PIROK (1705-1772), a landowner and philanthropist who donated funds for the construction of a church and a school in her hometown of Bydgoszcz.
As the PIROK family spread across Poland and into neighboring regions, variations in the spelling of the name emerged. Some examples include PYROK, PYROKG, and PIROCH, which can be found in historical records from the 18th and 19th centuries.
One notable bearer of the PIROK name was Franciszek PIROK (1819-1892), a Polish artist who specialized in landscape paintings and was known for his depictions of the countryside around Warsaw.
In the late 19th century, the PIROK surname began to appear in records of Polish immigrants who settled in various parts of the United States and Canada, as families sought new opportunities and a better life abroad.
Throughout its history, the PIROK surname has maintained a strong connection to its Polish roots, with many bearers of the name proudly tracing their ancestry back to the regions where the name first emerged centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pirok
Among Census respondents with the surname Pirok, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pirok 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 Pirok surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pirok
Pirok 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,708 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,708 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,184 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 Pirok 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 | #137,327 | #143,511 | -4.5% |
| Count | 122 | 118 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pirok bearers went from 122 to 118 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,184 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #143,511.
FAQ
Pirok surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pirok?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Pirok. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Pirok?
Pirok ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Pirok. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pirok.
Has Pirok become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pirok went from 122 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Pirok?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pirok, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Pirok in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pirok appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Pirok (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 Pirok mean?
An Eastern European surname perhaps derived from a regional place name. 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 Pirok (0.04 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 Pirok?
You can see how common the surname Pirok is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.