2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pittack
A locational surname referring to someone from Pittick in Somerset, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 167 Americans carry the last name Pittack. That puts it at #123,817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,052,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pittack 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
167
1 in 2,052,421
Census rank
#123,817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
146
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 146 bearers of the surname Pittack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 123817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pittack, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pittack
The surname Pittack is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "pyt" meaning a small hollow or pit, and "ac" meaning an oak tree. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a small pit or hollow populated by oak trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Pittack date back to the 13th century, with mentions found in parish records and historical documents from various counties in southern England, particularly in Somerset, Dorset, and Devon.
One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset from 1260, which mentions a William Pittok. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Dorset in 1327, where a John Puttak is listed.
In the 16th century, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Pittick, Pittick, and Pittocke, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic adaptations of the name over time.
Notables with the surname Pittack include Sir Thomas Pittack (1578-1648), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset who served as Sheriff of the county in 1623. Another prominent figure was Reverend John Pittack (1647-1717), a Church of England clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Bridgwater, Somerset.
In the late 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, suggesting that some Pittacks emigrated from England to the American colonies during this period.
During the 18th century, a branch of the Pittack family settled in the village of Fittleworth, Sussex, where they left their mark on local history. One notable resident was Richard Pittack (1720-1804), a prosperous farmer and landowner who served as a churchwarden and parish overseer.
Another noteworthy individual was Captain John Pittack (1765-1842), a Royal Navy officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a magistrate in his hometown of Bridgwater.
The surname Pittack, though not among the most common English surnames, has left its mark on various regions of England, particularly in the southwestern counties, where it has its roots dating back to the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pittack
Among Census respondents with the surname Pittack, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pittack 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 Pittack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pittack
Pittack 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-12 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,754 places
2020
#123,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+12 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -12 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 15,754 places |
| 2020 | #123,817 | 146 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Pittack 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 | #127,494 | #123,817 | 2.9% |
| Count | 134 | 146 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pittack bearers went from 134 to 146 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #123,817.
FAQ
Pittack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pittack?
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the surname Pittack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,052,421 residents.
How common is Pittack?
Pittack ranks #123,817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 146 people with the surname Pittack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Pittack.
Has Pittack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pittack went from 134 recorded bearers to 146. That is an increase of 12 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #127,494 to #123,817.
What does the Census say about the background of Pittack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pittack, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Pittack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pittack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Hispanic (13.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Pittack (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 Pittack mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Pittick in Somerset, England. 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 Pittack (0.05 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 many people have the surname Pittack?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.