2000
#111,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pyrek
A Polish surname derived from the word "pyr" meaning grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Pyrek. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pyrek 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Pyrek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyrek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pyrek
The surname Pyrek has its origins in Poland, emerging during the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to derive from the Old Polish word "pyr," meaning "wheat" or "grain," suggesting that the name was likely associated with someone involved in agriculture or grain cultivation.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the region of Silesia, a historical province spanning parts of modern-day Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. In the 14th century, the name appeared in various municipal records and legal documents within this area.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Pyrek surname was Jan Pyrek, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Strzelce Opolskie (then part of Silesia) in the late 15th century. Historical records from 1487 mention his involvement in a land dispute, providing valuable insight into the name's usage during that period.
In the 16th century, the name gained further prominence with the rise of Mikołaj Pyrek, a prominent merchant and trader based in the city of Wrocław (then known as Breslau). Born in 1523, Mikołaj established a successful business exporting grain and other agricultural products throughout Central Europe, contributing to the economic growth of the region.
Another notable figure bearing the Pyrek surname was Zuzanna Pyrek, a renowned herbalist and healer who lived in the village of Bystrzyca Kłodzka (in Lower Silesia) during the early 17th century. Her expertise in traditional medicine and knowledge of medicinal plants were widely recognized, and she was sought after by residents from surrounding villages.
In the late 18th century, the name appeared in the records of the Duchy of Warsaw, a Polish state established by Napoleon Bonaparte. Franciszek Pyrek, born in 1771, was a soldier who fought in the Polish Legions during the Napoleonic Wars, earning distinction for his bravery and loyalty to the Polish cause.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the name have emerged, including Pyrek, Pirek, and Pyrzyk. Additionally, some historical records may have recorded the name with alternative spellings due to transcription errors or regional dialectal variations.
While the Pyrek surname is most commonly associated with Polish ancestry, it has also been documented in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, reflecting the movement and migration of people throughout history. However, the name's roots can be traced back to its Polish origins, where it first emerged as a marker of identity and occupation during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pyrek
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyrek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pyrek 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 Pyrek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pyrek
Pyrek 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-22 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,593 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-9 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,119 | 147 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 23,593 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 10,316 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 Pyrek 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 | #134,712 | #145,028 | -7.7% |
| Count | 125 | 116 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pyrek bearers went from 125 to 116 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 10,316 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #145,028.
FAQ
Pyrek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pyrek?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Pyrek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Pyrek?
Pyrek ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Pyrek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pyrek.
Has Pyrek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pyrek went from 125 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Pyrek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pyrek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Pyrek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pyrek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (6.0%), Black (0.9%). 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 Pyrek (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 Pyrek mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "pyr" meaning grain. 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 Pyrek (0.04 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 common is the surname Pyrek?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Pyrek at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.