Explore the Family Name Pelikan
The meaning of Pelikan
German, Croatian, and Slovenian; Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian (Pelikán): from Middle High German pellikān, Croatian and Slovenian pelikan, Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian pelikán ‘pelican’ (from Late Latin pelicanus, Greek pelekan). The pelican was regarded as a symbol of piety in Christian tradition: the female pelican was supposed, in medieval religious folklore, to feed her young with her own blood by plucking the feathers from her breast. Consequently, the surname might be a nickname for a selfless person. Alternatively, in some of these languages, this was a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a pelican. Compare Pelican. Some characteristic forenames: German Otto, Wolfgang.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pelikan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname “Pelikan” slightly decreased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 42,983 in terms of popularity and dropped to 44,500 in 2010, marking a change of -3.53%. However, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased marginally from 474 to 483 within the same time frame. The proportion per 100k people also experienced a decline of 11.11%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #42,983 | #44,500 | -3.53% |
| Count | 474 | 483 | 1.9% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.18 | 0.16 | -11.11% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pelikan
Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of people with the Pelikan surname identified as White, accounting for 93.46% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 92.13% in 2010. No individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black during either census year. A notable increase can be seen in the Hispanic ethnic identity which grew by 30.83%, rising from 2.53% in 2000 to 3.31% in 2010. Furthermore, the percentage of those identifying with two or more ethnicities rose from 2.11% to 2.48%, marking a 17.54% increase. For the first time in 2010, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category appeared, indicating that some individuals began to identify with this ethnicity.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.46% | 92.13% | -1.42% |
| Hispanic | 2.53% | 3.31% | 30.83% |
| Two or More Races | 2.11% | 2.48% | 17.54% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 1.04% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |