2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pysh
A surname possibly derived from a nickname for a restless or impatient person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Pysh. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pysh 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Pysh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pysh, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pysh
The surname PYSH is believed to have originated in the region of Ukraine during the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Slavic word "pyshna," meaning "proud" or "arrogant." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a haughty or boastful demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the PYSH surname can be found in the Cossack Registers of the Zaporozhian Host, a historical record of the Cossack military formations in the region. In these registers, a certain Ivan PYSH is listed as a member of the Cossack army in the year 1649.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the PYSH surname started to spread beyond Ukraine and into other parts of the Russian Empire. Notably, a merchant named Grigory PYSH is documented as having lived in Moscow in the late 1700s, where he established a successful trading business.
In the 19th century, the PYSH surname appeared in various regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including Galicia (present-day western Ukraine and southeastern Poland). One notable figure from this era was Yuriy PYSH (1840-1919), a Ukrainian writer and poet who contributed significantly to the literary renaissance of the time.
Another historical figure bearing the PYSH surname was Vasyl PYSH (1875-1942), a Ukrainian politician and activist who played a prominent role in the struggle for Ukrainian independence during the early 20th century. He served as a member of the Central Rada, the revolutionary parliament established in Kyiv during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1920.
The PYSH surname also found its way to the United States and other parts of the world through immigration waves, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Petro PYSH (1892-1975), a Ukrainian-American sculptor and artist known for his works depicting Ukrainian folk life and culture.
Throughout its history, the PYSH surname has maintained a strong presence in Ukraine and has been associated with various professions, including writers, artists, politicians, and merchants. While its origins can be traced back to a descriptive nickname, the name has evolved to become a distinct part of the cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pysh
Among Census respondents with the surname Pysh, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pysh 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 Pysh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pysh
Pysh 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,120 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,120 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,113 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 Pysh 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 | #140,157 | #144,270 | -2.9% |
| Count | 119 | 117 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pysh bearers went from 119 to 117 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #144,270.
FAQ
Pysh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pysh?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Pysh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Pysh?
Pysh ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Pysh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Pysh.
Has Pysh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pysh went from 119 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Pysh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pysh, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Pysh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pysh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Pysh (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 Pysh mean?
A surname possibly derived from a nickname for a restless or impatient person. 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 Pysh (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 many Americans have the surname Pysh?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.