2000
#14,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,851
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Pidgeon
A surname derived from the Old French word "pigeon", meaning a pigeon or dove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,922 Americans carry the last name Pidgeon. That puts it at #16,617 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 178,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pidgeon 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 Pidgeon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 178,332
Census rank
#16,617
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,676 bearers of the surname Pidgeon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16617th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pidgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pidgeon
The surname Pidgeon is of English origin and derives from the Old French word "pigeon" meaning a pigeon or dove. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who attracted pigeons or had some association with the bird.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname dates back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard Pijon from Huntingdonshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mention a John Pijun. These early spellings highlight the variations that existed before the surname became standardized.
In later centuries, the name can be found in various historical records. The Hearth Tax Returns of 1674 for London list a Thomas Pidgeon, while the Register of the University of Oxford from 1615 includes a John Pidgeon who matriculated at Magdalen Hall.
Several notable individuals have borne the Pidgeon surname throughout history. One of the earliest was Walter Pidgeon, a 14th-century English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Maldon in 1379. Another was David Pidgeon (1714-1762), a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Admiral.
In the literary world, Ralph Pidgeon (1789-1855) was a Scottish writer and poet, known for his work "The Scenery of Scotland." Meanwhile, Edward Pidgeon (1870-1952) was a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Curzon Cinema.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the name was Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984), the Canadian-American actor who starred in numerous Hollywood films, including Mrs. Miniver (1942) and Forbidden Planet (1956). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Mrs. Miniver.
While the name Pidgeon may have originated as a nickname, it has endured through the centuries, with individuals bearing this surname leaving their mark in various fields, from politics and literature to architecture and the performing arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pidgeon
Among Census respondents with the surname Pidgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pidgeon 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 Pidgeon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 1,443
- Black or African American4.5% · 75
- Two or more races4.4% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pidgeon
Pidgeon 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
#16,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
-66 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,473 places
2020
#16,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,676
-109 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 429 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,715 | 1,851 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,188 | 1,785 | 0.61 | -66 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 1,473 places |
| 2020 | #16,617 | 1,676 | 0.56 | -109 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 429 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 Pidgeon 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 | #16,188 | #16,617 | -2.7% |
| Count | 1,785 | 1,676 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.56 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pidgeon bearers went from 1,785 to 1,676 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 429 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,188 to #16,617.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pidgeon
FAQ
Pidgeon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pidgeon?
Name Census estimates that about 1,922 living Americans carry the surname Pidgeon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 178,332 residents.
How common is Pidgeon?
Pidgeon ranks #16,617 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 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 1,676 people with the surname Pidgeon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 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 Pidgeon.
Has Pidgeon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pidgeon went from 1,785 recorded bearers to 1,676. That is a decrease of 109 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,188 to #16,617.
What does the Census say about the background of Pidgeon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pidgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Pidgeon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (1,443 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pidgeon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Pidgeon (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 Pidgeon mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "pigeon", meaning a pigeon or dove. 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 Pidgeon (0.56 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 surname Pidgeon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.