2000
#11,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,434
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Pink
A surname referring to someone with a pale complexion or who dyed fabric using the color pink.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,940 Americans carry the last name Pink. That puts it at #11,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,583 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pink 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 Pink with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,583
Census rank
#11,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,564 bearers of the surname Pink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pink, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pink
The surname PINK is believed to have originated in England, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is thought to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "pinc," which referred to someone who worked with a type of reddish-colored cloth or dye. The name may also have been given as a nickname to someone with a particularly ruddy or rosy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PINK surname dates back to 1196, when a man named Gilbert le Pinc was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire. Over the following centuries, the name appeared in various medieval records with spellings such as Pynke, Pynk, and Pincke.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire listed a William Pinc, while a Robert le Pynk was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1665 also mentioned a Thomas Pincke in the city of York.
One notable historical figure with the PINK surname was Robert Pink, a 17th-century English clergyman and writer who lived from 1617 to 1696. He was a rector in the Church of England and authored several religious works, including "The Religion of a Protestant, Clear'd from the Novelties of Popery" and "The Student and Preacher's Assistant."
Another individual of note was John Pink, born in 1663 in London, who was a renowned English engraver and cartographer. He is best known for his intricate maps and engravings of various cities and counties throughout England, many of which were published in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In the 19th century, Robert Pink (1784-1858) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Evangelical Library and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Bermondsey. He also worked on the restoration of several historic churches and cathedrals.
Henry Pink (1800-1867) was a British industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Henry Pink & Sons engineering company in Birmingham. The company played a significant role in the development of steam engine technology during the Industrial Revolution.
Thomas Pink (1845-1915) was a British tailor and founder of the renowned shirtmaking company Thomas Pink, which continues to operate to this day. He established his first shop in London in 1884 and became renowned for his high-quality shirts and innovative collar designs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pink
Among Census respondents with the surname Pink, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pink 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 Pink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.8% · 1,686
- Black or African American23.9% · 614
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 127
- Two or more races3.6% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pink
Pink 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
#12,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
+144 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 301 places
2020
#11,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,564
-14 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,788 | 2,434 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,089 | 2,578 | 0.87 | +144 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 301 places |
| 2020 | #11,692 | 2,564 | 0.86 | -14 bearers (-0.5%) | Up 397 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 Pink 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 | #12,089 | #11,692 | 3.3% |
| Count | 2,578 | 2,564 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.86 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pink bearers went from 2,578 to 2,564 (-0.5% change). The surname moved up 397 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,089 to #11,692.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pink
FAQ
Pink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pink?
Name Census estimates that about 2,940 living Americans carry the surname Pink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,583 residents.
How common is Pink?
Pink ranks #11,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,564 people with the surname Pink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Pink.
Has Pink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pink went from 2,578 recorded bearers to 2,564. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,089 to #11,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Pink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pink, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Pink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.8% (1,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.8%), Black (23.9%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Pink (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 Pink mean?
A surname referring to someone with a pale complexion or who dyed fabric using the color pink. 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 Pink (0.86 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 Pink?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.