2000
#11,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Pullin
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "poulain," meaning a young horse or colt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,819 Americans carry the last name Pullin. That puts it at #12,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,587 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pullin 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 Pullin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,587
Census rank
#12,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,458 bearers of the surname Pullin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pullin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pullin
The surname Pullin is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the village of Pullin, which is located in the county of Buckinghamshire, England.
The name Pullin is thought to have originated from the Old English words "pulle," meaning a small stream or brook, and "hyll," meaning a hill. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pullin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Pullenehyll." This entry provides evidence that the name was already in use during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records as "Pullin" and "Pullyn." These variations in spelling were common during this period, as standardized spellings were not yet established.
Notable individuals with the surname Pullin include:
1. John Pullin (c. 1563-1614), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Cleveland.
2. Robert Pullin (1634-1714), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Great Bedwyn in 1690.
3. Mary Pullin (1768-1844), an English writer and educator who published several books on education and children's literature.
4. George Pullin (1820-1891), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.
5. William Pullin (1861-1930), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament for Gateshead from 1922 to 1924.
While the surname Pullin is not among the most common surnames in England, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period. The name's origins are deeply rooted in the English countryside, reflecting the geographic features of the area from which it emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pullin
Among Census respondents with the surname Pullin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pullin 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 Pullin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 1,901
- Black or African American12.2% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 146
- Two or more races3.1% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pullin
Pullin 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
#12,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,581
+24 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 746 places
2020
#12,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,458
-123 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,333 | 2,557 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,079 | 2,581 | 0.87 | +24 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 746 places |
| 2020 | #12,104 | 2,458 | 0.82 | -123 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 25 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 Pullin 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 | #12,079 | #12,104 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,581 | 2,458 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.82 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pullin bearers went from 2,581 to 2,458 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,079 to #12,104.
FAQ
Pullin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pullin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,819 living Americans carry the surname Pullin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,587 residents.
How common is Pullin?
Pullin ranks #12,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,458 people with the surname Pullin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,819), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pullin.
Has Pullin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pullin went from 2,581 recorded bearers to 2,458. That is a decrease of 123 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,079 to #12,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Pullin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pullin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Pullin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (1,901 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pullin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Black (12.2%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Pullin (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 Pullin mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "poulain," meaning a young horse or colt. 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 Pullin (0.82 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 Pullin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.