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

Pittman, 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 Pittman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pittman in America

Pittman is the 619th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pittman surname appeared 55,021 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Pittman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pittman 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 Pittman

The surname PITTMAN has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "pytt" meaning a pit or hollow and "mann" meaning a man or worker. The name likely referred to someone who worked in a pit or quarry, or lived near a pit or hollow in the landscape.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where it appears as "Pitteman". The surname is also found in various medieval records such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled "Pyteman".

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire in the southwest of England. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region, where there were numerous quarries and pits used for mining and construction.

In the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to standardize, with variations like "Pittman", "Pitman", and "Pytman" becoming more common. One notable bearer of the name from this period was John Pittman (c.1525-1585), a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in Ipswich, Suffolk, during the reign of Queen Mary I.

As the name spread across England, it also became associated with various place names. For example, the village of Pitman's Cross in Gloucestershire likely derived its name from a family with the surname Pittman who lived in the area.

Other notable figures with the surname PITTMAN throughout history include:

1. Sir Edward Pittman (1629-1711), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1689.
2. William Pittman (1766-1853), an English painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
3. John Pittman (1801-1876), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former Royal Panopticon of Science and Art.
4. Thomas Pittman (1816-1891), an English cricketer who played for Sussex County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.
5. Charles Pittman (1872-1945), an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of Nevada from 1935 to 1939.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pittman

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

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

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

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