2000
#4,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Pyles
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a gate or entrance, from Middle English "pile".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,328 Americans carry the last name Pyles. That puts it at #4,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pyles 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
8.3K
1 in 41,157
Census rank
#4,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,262 bearers of the surname Pyles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyles, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pyles
The surname Pyles has its origins in the Middle English word "pile", which means a stake or palisade. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "pil" or the Latin word "pila", both of which have the same meaning.
This surname is believed to have originated in England during the 12th or 13th century. It was likely an occupational name given to someone who was a maker or worker of piles or palisades, which were often used in the construction of fortifications or fences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pyles can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire from the year 1212, where a person named Robert Pyles was mentioned.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a William Pyles as a landowner in the village of Bloxham.
A notable bearer of the surname Pyles was John Pyles, a member of the Parliament of England who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Warwickshire around 1420 and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Warwick in 1459.
In the 16th century, there was a Richard Pyles who was a renowned clockmaker in London. He was born in 1538 and is credited with making some of the earliest pendulum clocks in England.
Another notable figure with the surname Pyles was Thomas Pyles, an English clergyman who lived in the 17th century. He was born in 1616 in Gloucestershire and served as the rector of the parish church in the village of Eastington.
During the 18th century, a man named William Pyles gained recognition as a skilled cabinet maker and furniture designer in the city of Bristol. He was born in 1725 and his work was highly sought after by the wealthy and aristocratic families of the time.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Pyles was James Pyles, a successful businessman and philanthropist from the city of Manchester. He was born in 1812 and made his fortune in the textile industry, but also donated a significant portion of his wealth to various charitable causes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pyles
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyles, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pyles 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 Pyles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 5,814
- Black or African American11.6% · 841
- Two or more races4.8% · 346
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 186
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pyles
Pyles 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
#4,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,677
+242 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 213 places
2020
#4,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,262
-415 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,409 | 7,435 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,622 | 7,677 | 2.60 | +242 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 213 places |
| 2020 | #4,728 | 7,262 | 2.43 | -415 bearers (-5.4%) | 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 Pyles 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 | #4,622 | #4,728 | -2.3% |
| Count | 7,677 | 7,262 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.43 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pyles bearers went from 7,677 to 7,262 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,622 to #4,728.
FAQ
Pyles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pyles?
Name Census estimates that about 8,328 living Americans carry the surname Pyles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,157 residents.
How common is Pyles?
Pyles ranks #4,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,262 people with the surname Pyles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pyles.
Has Pyles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pyles went from 7,677 recorded bearers to 7,262. That is a decrease of 415 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,622 to #4,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Pyles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyles, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Pyles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (5,814 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pyles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (11.6%), Two or More Races (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 Pyles (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 Pyles mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a gate or entrance, from Middle English "pile". 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 Pyles (2.43 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 Pyles?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Pyles on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.