The Pitcher surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,272 people carried this name — #5,539 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 46,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 6,042 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Pitcher surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Pichard’.

An early record he cites: Alan Pichard, Yorkshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Picard, Pickard and Pitcher.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 602 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Pitcher was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Buckinghamshire: 25 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 400. 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

Buckinghamshire 25
Sussex 14

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 the first U.S. census, 1790

44 families named Pitcher, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 260 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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 13
New York 13
Rhode Island 7
Connecticut 4
Maine 3
Vermont 3
New Hampshire 1

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

Pitcher in American newspapers,
1887–1918.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Pitcher
Daily Kennebec Journal 1918-07-06
Newspaper page from Vermont Phœnix carrying the name Pitcher
Vermont Phœnix 1907-04-26
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Pitcher
The Portland Daily Press 1887-11-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,189 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Pitcher in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

17,227 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pitcher. The most, 2,127, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 7,286
South Australia 3,623
New South Wales 3,153
Queensland 1,175
Western Australia 1,025
Tasmania 891
Northern Territory 41
ACT (Canberra) 19

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

Who carried it

People named Pitcher,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nathaniel Pitcher
    Nathaniel Pitcher 1777–1836 · lawyer
  • Zina Pitcher
    Zina Pitcher 1797–1872 · physician
  • Frank Pitcher
    Frank Pitcher 1879–1921 · cricketer
  • Elizabeth Pitcher d. 1837
  • Thomas Pitcher 1745–1837 · shipbuilder
  • William Pitcher 1782–1860 · shipbuilder

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Pitcher,
in the records of 6 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 States734 records

734 records of the Pitcher name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 204
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 166
  • Other U.S. records 364
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Albert E. Pitcher

    Born 1919 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; statistical clerk from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1879 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool, aged 18; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Robert Glenn Pitcher

    U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Born 1934, died 1991; buried at New Bern National Cemetery, North Carolina.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 734 records for Pitcher 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · 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) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia519 records

519 records of the Pitcher name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 225
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 152
  • Other Australian records 142
  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 James Pitcher

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Surrey, sailing from London in 1842. Native of Hystead, Kent. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    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 Josiah Pitcher

    Died 1871 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 73. Will registered in Tasmania in 1871.

    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 Sarah Pitcher

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Circassia, aged 37; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 519 records for Pitcher in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (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).

Canada111 records

111 records of the Pitcher name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 72
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 21
  • Other Canadian records 18
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Regional C. L. Pitcher

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 22; buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record David Lindsay Pitcher

    Died in service in 1995.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alice Sophia Pitcher

    Died 1974 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 62.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 111 records for Pitcher in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom27 records

27 records of the Pitcher name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 17
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 10
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Elizabeth Robinson Pitcher

    Buried in 1846 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 54.

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

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alice Pitcher

    Buried in 1852 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 73.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 27 records for Pitcher 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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 Zealand12 records

12 records of the Pitcher name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 9
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Pitcher

    Buried in 1967 at Lyttelton Catholic Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury, aged 49.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rose Mary Legeit Pitcher

    Buried in 1897 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record A. Pitcher

    New Zealand Mounted Rifles. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 12 records for Pitcher in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel 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); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Pitcher name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Phebe Pitcher

    Buried in 1805 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Pitcher.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Pitcher 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.

See the Pitcher volume
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