Explore the Family Name Pilson

The meaning of Pilson

English (Lancashire): 1. perhaps a variant of Puleston, a habitational name from the Shropshire placename Puleston, or, alternatively, a variant of Poulson with unrounding of the vowel. 2. perhaps a variant of Pelson (now rare or extinct in Britain), from the Middle English personal name Pell (see Pell) + son.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Pilson in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Pilson has seen a significant increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 31,014 in terms of popularity in the United States and rose to rank 28,618 by 2010. This speaks to an impressive growth of approximately 7.73%. The count of individuals with the Pilson surname also increased by 17.66% during this period, from 708 people in 2000 to 833 people in 2010. Proportionally, out of every 100,000 people, 0.26 had this surname in 2000, which slightly increased to 0.28 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#31,014#28,6187.73%
Count70883317.66%
Proportion per 100k0.260.287.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pilson

As for ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Pilson surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, although there was a decrease of about 9.13% over this period. Interestingly, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic saw a substantial increase of nearly 196.47%, albeit from a relatively low base. Those reporting their ethnic identity as Black comprised about a quarter of the Pilsons, rising by 12.11% from 2000 to 2010. The number of Pilsons identifying as two or more races also saw considerable growth, increasing by 121.28%. However, no individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in the 2010 Census.

20002010Change
White73.59%66.87%-9.13%
Black23.45%26.29%12.11%
Two or More Races1.41%3.12%121.28%
Hispanic0.85%2.52%196.47%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.71%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%