Explore the Family Name Pirnie

The meaning of Pirnie

Scottish: habitational name from Pirnie in the Borders or from Pairney (recorded in the 17th century as Pirney, Pirnie) near Auchterarder in Perthshire. The placenames appear to derive from Brittonic pren ‘tree’ + an uncertain element.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Pirnie has shown an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Pirnie ranked 64,385th among all surnames, but by 2010, the ranking had improved to 61,745th, indicating a growth rate of 4.1%. The count of individuals with this surname also rose from 289 to 325 during this period, suggesting a significant increase of 12.46%. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, there was no noticeable change between the two decades.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#64,385	#61,745	4.1%
Count	289	325	12.46%
Proportion per 100k	0.11	0.11	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pirnie

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Pirnie also experienced some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, approximately 95.5% of Pirnie bearers identified as White, however, this number slightly dropped to 92.62% by 2010. Meanwhile, the Hispanic representation within this surname increased from 1.73% to 4%, marking a substantial rise of 131.21%. There were also individuals who identified with two or more races in 2010, even though this group was not represented in the previous decade. No changes were noted in representation among Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native groups.

	2000	2010	Change
White	95.5%	92.62%	-3.02%
Hispanic	1.73%	4%	131.21%
Two or More Races	0%	1.85%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%