Piven last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Piven

A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "east" or "easterner".

Piven, 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 Piven surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Piven in America

Piven is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Piven surname appeared 103 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 Piven.

The history of the last name Piven

The surname PIVEN is of Russian origin, with its roots traced back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Russian word "piv," which translates to "beer" or "ale." This association suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon individuals involved in the brewing or selling of beer.

During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the PIVEN surname gained prominence in the regions of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Records from this period indicate that several families bearing this name were involved in various trades, including brewing, tavern keeping, and related industries.

One of the earliest known references to the PIVEN name can be found in a church registry from the village of Kolomna, near Moscow, dated 1692. This document mentions a certain Ivan PIVEN, who was a resident of the village and worked as a brewer.

As the Russian Empire expanded and urbanization increased, the PIVEN surname began to appear in other parts of the country. In the late 19th century, a notable figure named Grigory PIVEN (1838-1912) emerged as a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Odessa, where he owned several breweries and taverns.

Another individual of historical significance was Pyotr PIVEN (1876-1943), a Russian revolutionary and Bolshevik activist who played a role in the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917.

During the 20th century, the PIVEN surname gained international recognition through the works of the American actor and comedian Jeremy PIVEN (born 1965), known for his roles in popular television shows such as "Entourage" and films like "Old School."

Other notable individuals with the PIVEN surname include:

  1. Alexandr PIVEN (1906-1972), a Soviet military commander and Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II.
  2. Mikhail PIVEN (1892-1937), a Russian writer and playwright known for his works exploring the lives of factory workers.
  3. Natalya PIVEN (born 1981), a Russian professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 25 in the world.
  4. Yuri PIVEN (1951-2021), a Russian painter and artist renowned for his abstract expressionist works.
  5. Olga PIVEN (born 1963), a Russian-American author and illustrator of children's books, known for her unique collage artwork.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Piven

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

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 Piven was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only97.09%100
Non-Hispanic Black Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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.

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

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

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