The Pike surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 26,655 people carried this name — #1,318 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,100 people counted. That is up 2% from 26,086 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Pike surname

The surname is of multiple origins, including Middle English pike.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Pike» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Walter Pik, Huntingdonshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 605 · public domain.

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as an English name: ‘Dweller at a Pointed Hill; also a Pointed Piece of Land, a Gore’.

Also a nickname from the weapon, or the fish, so called; or a dweller at a turnpike.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 78 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

32 people named Pike live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Lucerne.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lucerne 10
Zurich 9
Geneva 7
Basel-Landschaft 3
Vaud 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 30 people named Pike.

Most of them — 18 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 18
Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon 6
Pas-de-Calais 5
Charente-Maritime 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

26 people named Pike is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 26

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Pike was found among the farmers of 9 counties.

It was most frequent in Wiltshire: 75 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 133. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Wiltshire 75
Dorset 26
Devon 20
Somerset 20
Buckinghamshire 18
Northamptonshire 15
Worcestershire 14
Hampshire 13

And 1 more county.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Pike was recorded 10 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1929th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 13. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

184 families named Pike, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 920 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 68
New Hampshire 41
Connecticut 13
Maine 12
New York 12
North Carolina 10
Vermont 9
Rhode Island 6
Pennsylvania 5
Virginia 3
South Carolina 3
Maryland 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 257 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Pike in American newspapers,
1859–1888.

Newspaper page from The Prairie News carrying the name Pike
The Prairie News 1859-05-26
Newspaper page from St. Landry Democrat carrying the name Pike
St. Landry Democrat 1888-03-10
Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Pike
Ellsworth American 1866-08-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,329 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Pike in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

88,589 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pike. The most, 20,901, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 38,586
Queensland 17,759
Victoria 11,290
South Australia 7,684
Tasmania 6,337
Western Australia 5,706
ACT (Canberra) 936
Northern Territory 82

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pike.

Who carried it

People named Pike,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Robert Pike
    Robert Pike 1616–1706
  • William Pike d. 1591 · carpenter
  • Hubert Pike d. 1961
  • Lilian Ethel Pike d. 1901
  • Elizabeth Barrington Pike d. 1887
  • Alice Maude Headland d. 1945

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Pike,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,681 records

2,681 records of the Pike name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 928
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 536
  • Other U.S. records 1,217
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Peter Xavier Pike

    Born 1943; from New York, New York. U.S. Air Force, pilot; declared dead 1969 in Laos. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas A. Pike

    Born 1899 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 at Dallas, Texas; typesetter from Tarrant County, Texas. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1977, buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ann Maria Pike

    Arrived at New York in 1858 aboard the City of New York from Liverpool, aged 25; dressmaker. From Cheriton, England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,681 records for Pike in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,818 records

1,818 records of the Pike name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 901
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 277
  • Other Australian records 640
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Joseph Pike

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Marmion, sailing from Portsmouth in 1827. Native of Storrington, Sussex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1840. Married 1841 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 37.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry Morris Pike

    Died 1883 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 50. Will registered in Tasmania in 1883.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Pike

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Royal Stuart, aged 13; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,818 records for Pike in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada295 records

295 records of the Pike name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 174
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 33
  • Other Canadian records 88
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Jabez Pike

    Killed in 1893 at the Joggins Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Pike

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Moravian, landing at Portland, bound for Guelph, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Hilda Pike

    Died 1965, aged 60; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 295 records for Pike in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom63 records

63 records of the Pike name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 54
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 7
  • Other British records 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Annie Pike

    Will proved in 1939; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Pike

    Buried in 1847 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 39.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record R. C. Pike

    Lance Corporal, Army Cyclist Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 63 records for Pike in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand33 records

33 records of the Pike name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 18
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 10
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Allen Pike

    Died 1918, aged 44; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kathleen Pike

    Died 1957, aged 46; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Barry Gordon Pike

    Buried in 1960 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 18.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 33 records for Pike in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Pike name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Klazina Piké

    Born 1836 in Middelharnis. Died 1836 in Middelharnis.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Goeree-Overflakkee (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Johanna Piké

    Born 1909 in Aalsmeer. Married in 1935 in Aalsmeer.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Louise Henriette Pike

    Died 1955 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 99.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Pike in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France5 records

5 records of the Pike name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gisele Celanie Madeleine Pike

    Born 1926 in Berck; died 1993 in Lépine (Pas-de-Calais).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Andrew David Pike

    Born 1967 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Cubjac (Dordogne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Pike in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Pike.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Pike is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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