2000
#8,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,732
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Pye
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pies or other baked goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,999 Americans carry the last name Pye. That puts it at #9,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pye 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 Pye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,710
Census rank
#9,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,487 bearers of the surname Pye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pye, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pye
The surname Pye is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pigg," which referred to a small hill or mound. The name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near or on a small hill.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known record of surnames in England, there are several entries for people with the name Pye or similar spellings like Pyg or Pygge. These entries are primarily from counties in the southeast of England, such as Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, suggesting that the name originated in this region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pye was Walter Pye, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire in 1199. These rolls were records of financial transactions with the Crown in medieval England.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Pye began to appear in various forms, including Pie, Py, and Pye, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common at the time. Some of these early bearers of the name were associated with various place names, such as Thomas de la Pye, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, and John atte Pye, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of Kent in 1334.
In the 15th century, the name Pye gained prominence with the rise of the Pye family of Faringdon, Berkshire. One notable member of this family was Sir Robert Pye (c. 1454-1522), who served as a Justice of the Peace and Member of Parliament for Berkshire.
Another famous bearer of the Pye surname was Sir Walter Pye (1571-1635), an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General and a Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I.
In the 17th century, Sir Robert Pye (1599-1662) was a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament and was a staunch supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
The name Pye also has connections to literature, with the English poet and playwright Henry Neville Pye (1742-1819) being a notable figure. He served as the Poet Laureate of Great Britain from 1790 until his death.
Throughout history, the surname Pye has been associated with various place names, such as Pye Green in Staffordshire, Pye Corner in London, and Pye Nest in Sussex, reflecting the geographic spread of the name across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pye
Among Census respondents with the surname Pye, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pye 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 Pye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.1% · 2,165
- Black or African American29.2% · 1,018
- Two or more races4.4% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pye
Pye 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
#8,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,743
+11 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 592 places
2020
#9,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,487
-256 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,171 | 3,732 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,763 | 3,743 | 1.27 | +11 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 592 places |
| 2020 | #9,006 | 3,487 | 1.17 | -256 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 243 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 Pye 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 | #8,763 | #9,006 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,743 | 3,487 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.17 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pye bearers went from 3,743 to 3,487 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 243 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,763 to #9,006.
FAQ
Pye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pye?
Name Census estimates that about 3,999 living Americans carry the surname Pye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,710 residents.
How common is Pye?
Pye ranks #9,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,487 people with the surname Pye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Pye.
Has Pye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pye went from 3,743 recorded bearers to 3,487. That is a decrease of 256 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,763 to #9,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Pye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pye, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) 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 Pye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.1% (2,165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.1%), Black (29.2%), 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 Pye (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 Pye mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pies or other baked goods. 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 Pye (1.17 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 Pye?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.