2000
#22,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,038
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Pyke
An English topographic surname derived from Middle English "pike" meaning pointed hill or peak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,234 Americans carry the last name Pyke. That puts it at #24,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 277,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pyke 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 Pyke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 277,759
Census rank
#24,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,076 bearers of the surname Pyke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pyke
The surname Pyke has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "pic," meaning a pointed hill or peak, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pyke can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This ancient document mentions a landowner named Richard Pyke in the county of Oxfordshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, including Pyke, Pike, and Pyk, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that era. Some of these variations may have originated from different regional dialects or scribal errors in official records.
The surname Pyke is also associated with several place names in England, such as Pike Hill in Staffordshire and Pyke Nook in Yorkshire. These locations likely influenced the development of the surname or were named after individuals bearing the name.
Among notable historical figures with the surname Pyke, one can mention Sir William Pyke (1540-1616), an English gentleman and landowner who served as a member of parliament for Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was Robert Pyke (1592-1659), an English soldier and politician who fought in the English Civil War on the Parliamentarian side.
In the realm of literature, the name Pyke is associated with the 17th-century poet and playwright James Pyke (1623-1700), who is known for his contributions to the genre of Cavalier poetry.
Moving forward in time, John Pyke (1745-1809) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent figure in the Royal Navy.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the significance of Sir Walter Pyke (1856-1935), a British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of education and healthcare in his hometown of Sheffield.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pyke
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pyke 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 Pyke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 873
- Black or African American5.8% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 52
- Two or more races4.5% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pyke
Pyke 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
#24,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,050
+12 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 1,013 places
2020
#24,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,076
+26 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,999 | 1,038 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,012 | 1,050 | 0.36 | +12 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 1,013 places |
| 2020 | #24,261 | 1,076 | 0.36 | +26 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 249 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 Pyke 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 | #24,012 | #24,261 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,050 | 1,076 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.36 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pyke bearers went from 1,050 to 1,076 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,012 to #24,261.
FAQ
Pyke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pyke?
Name Census estimates that about 1,234 living Americans carry the surname Pyke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 277,759 residents.
How common is Pyke?
Pyke ranks #24,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,076 people with the surname Pyke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pyke.
Has Pyke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pyke went from 1,050 recorded bearers to 1,076. That is an increase of 26 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,012 to #24,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Pyke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Pyke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (873 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pyke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Black (5.8%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Pyke (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 Pyke mean?
An English topographic surname derived from Middle English "pike" meaning pointed hill or peak. 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 Pyke (0.36 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 have the last name Pyke?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Pyke, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.