2000
#817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,691
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.34
Uncommon Last name
Pugh
A Welsh surname derived from the given name "Huw" or "Hu," meaning "heart," "mind," or "spirit."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,132 Americans carry the last name Pugh. That puts it at #914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pugh 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pugh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 7,947
Census rank
#914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,613 bearers of the surname Pugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pugh
The surname PUGH is of Welsh origin, derived from the Welsh word 'pwgh', meaning a raised mound or hill. This name originated in the regions of Wales, where it was used to identify people who lived near or on a particular mound or hill.
The name PUGH can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various forms such as 'Pughe', 'Poughe', and 'Pwgh'. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Red Book of St. Asaph, a 14th-century manuscript from the Diocese of St. Asaph in North Wales.
In the 16th century, the name PUGH was associated with the town of Mathafarn, located in the Montgomeryshire region of Wales. The town's name was derived from the Welsh words 'math' (good) and 'afarn' (bakery), suggesting that the area was known for its high-quality bakeries.
Among the notable individuals bearing the PUGH surname, one can mention Gruffydd ap Rhys Pugh (c. 1480-1554), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire. Another prominent figure was John Pugh (1599-1679), a Welsh clergyman and writer who served as the Rector of Racton in Sussex, England.
In the 18th century, the name PUGH gained recognition with the birth of Ellis Pugh (1731-1790), a Welsh-born American Baptist minister and educator. He played a significant role in the establishment of several educational institutions in New England, including Brown University.
During the 19th century, William Pugh (1805-1892) was a Welsh-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the coal mining industry. He donated generously to various educational and cultural institutions in Pennsylvania.
The name PUGH also has connections to the literary world, with the poet Sheenagh Pugh (born 1950) being a notable bearer of this surname. Her works have been widely published and acclaimed, earning her recognition as one of the leading Welsh poets of her generation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pugh 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 Pugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.9% · 24,409
- Black or African American27.2% · 10,245
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,567
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 1,027
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 215
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 150
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pugh
Pugh 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
#879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,559
+868 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 13.41
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,613
-1,946 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 12.58
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #817 | 38,691 | 14.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #879 | 39,559 | 13.41 | +868 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #914 | 37,613 | 12.58 | -1,946 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 35 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 Pugh 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 | #879 | #914 | -4.0% |
| Count | 39,559 | 37,613 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 13.41 | 12.58 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pugh bearers went from 39,559 to 37,613 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #879 to #914.
FAQ
Pugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pugh?
Name Census estimates that about 43,132 living Americans carry the surname Pugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,947 residents.
How common is Pugh?
Pugh ranks #914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,613 people with the surname Pugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Pugh.
Has Pugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pugh went from 39,559 recorded bearers to 37,613. That is a decrease of 1,946 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #879 to #914.
What does the Census say about the background of Pugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Pugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.9% (24,409 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.9%), Black (27.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Pugh (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 Pugh mean?
A Welsh surname derived from the given name "Huw" or "Hu," meaning "heart," "mind," or "spirit." 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 Pugh (12.58 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 Americans have the surname Pugh?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.