2000
#3,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,923
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.05
Uncommon Last name
Pulliam
Derived from a place name meaning "estate of a man named Paul" in Old French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,591 Americans carry the last name Pulliam. That puts it at #3,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,222 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pulliam 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
13K
1 in 27,222
Census rank
#3,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,980 bearers of the surname Pulliam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulliam, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pulliam
The surname Pulliam originates from England, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pull," meaning a small stream or brook, combined with the suffix "-ham," indicating a homestead or village. This suggests that the name may have originated from a settlement located near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Pulham." This document contains references to individuals bearing the name in various spellings, such as "Pullum" and "Pullam."
The Pulliam surname has also been linked to several place names in England, including Pullham in Norfolk and Pullham in Dorset. These locations likely contributed to the surname's formation and early bearers' origins.
In the 14th century, the Pulliam name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1333, further solidifying its presence in the region. This historical record suggests that the surname had become established in certain areas of England by this time.
Notable individuals bearing the Pulliam surname throughout history include:
1. John Pulliam (c. 1520 - 1585), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Heytesbury in Wiltshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Robert Pulliam (c. 1580 - 1650), an English colonist who settled in Virginia in the early 17th century and became a prominent figure in the Colony of Virginia.
3. Elijah Pulliam (1768 - 1849), an American farmer and revolutionary soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
4. Samuel Pulliam (1826 - 1902), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the town of Pulliam, Illinois.
5. Thomas Pulliam (1834 - 1907), a British architect known for his work on several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons.
While the Pulliam surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, primarily through immigration patterns in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pulliam
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulliam, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pulliam 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 Pulliam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 6,980
- Black or African American27.0% · 2,962
- Two or more races5.0% · 547
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 337
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pulliam
Pulliam 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
#3,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,613
+690 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.94
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#3,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,980
-633 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.67
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,044 | 10,923 | 4.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,099 | 11,613 | 3.94 | +690 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #3,205 | 10,980 | 3.67 | -633 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 106 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 Pulliam 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 | #3,099 | #3,205 | -3.4% |
| Count | 11,613 | 10,980 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.94 | 3.67 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pulliam bearers went from 11,613 to 10,980 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,099 to #3,205.
FAQ
Pulliam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pulliam?
Name Census estimates that about 12,591 living Americans carry the surname Pulliam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,222 residents.
How common is Pulliam?
Pulliam ranks #3,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,980 people with the surname Pulliam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Pulliam.
Has Pulliam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pulliam went from 11,613 recorded bearers to 10,980. That is a decrease of 633 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,099 to #3,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Pulliam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulliam, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Pulliam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (6,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pulliam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (27.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Pulliam (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 Pulliam mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "estate of a man named Paul" in Old French. 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 Pulliam (3.67 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 share the surname Pulliam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.