The Pye surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,743 people carried this name — #8,763 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 78,700 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (3,732).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Pye surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the pie’.

An early record he cites: Agnes relicta Pye, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Pye and Py.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 628 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 27 people named Pye.

5 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 10 départements, most often Eure-et-Loir.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 5
Eure-et-Loir 12
Orne 2
Yonne 1
Somme 1
Paris 1
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 1
Pas-de-Calais 1
Loiret 1

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

In Argentina’s national register

At least 20 people named Pye live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Chubut.

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

Where they live today

Chubut 20

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Pye was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Kent: 33 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 303. 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

Kent 33
Lancashire 30
Northumberland 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 Scotland’s registers today

Pye 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. 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 print

Pye in American newspapers,
1887–1913.

Newspaper page from The Watchman And Southron carrying the name Pye
The Watchman And Southron 1913-10-18
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Pye
The Salt Lake Herald 1887-01-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 48,387 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Pye in Australian newspapers,
1810s–1990s.

31,125 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pye. The most, 5,317, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 14,702
Victoria 10,551
Queensland 2,799
Western Australia 1,203
South Australia 780
Tasmania 527
ACT (Canberra) 501
Northern Territory 11

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

Who carried it

People named Pye,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Walter Pye
    Walter Pye 1571–1636 · lawyer
  • Richard Pye d. 1703 · politician
  • Ann Stevens d. 1722
  • Sir Richard Pye, 3rd Bt. d. 1724
  • Bridget Kyrle d. 1624
  • Henry John Pye d. 1884

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 Pye,
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 States604 records

604 records of the Pye name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 171
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 156
  • Other U.S. records 277
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jack Pye

    Born 1924 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Dallas; sales clerk from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1974, buried at Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    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 John Pye

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Aurania from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 47; iron worker. From Lancashire, England; bound for New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Safford Smith Pye

    Born 1934; from Buck, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 604 records for Pye in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia691 records

691 records of the Pye name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 343
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 133
  • Other Australian records 215
  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 Pye

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the John Barry, sailing from London in 1834. Native of Hatton, Warwickshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1843.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Potosi, aged 3; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Redfern Pye

    Retired of Burwood, Victoria; died 1988.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 691 records for Pye 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada594 records

594 records of the Pye name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 545
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 14
  • Other Canadian records 35
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Pye

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Parisian, landing at Quebec, bound for Cheltenham, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Thomas Pye

    Buried in 1980 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 82.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Gordon Pye

    Died 1939 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 594 records for Pye in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom51 records

51 records of the Pye name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 42
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  • Stirling Council burial records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janet Pye

    Died 1916, aged 86; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Pye

    Buried in 1836 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 60.

    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 E. Pye

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 51 records for Pye 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. · Stirling Council. 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 Zealand19 records

19 records of the Pye name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 14
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 4
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Lily Pye

    Died 1958, aged 77; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Armour Pye

    Buried in 1972 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 74.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Florence Mabel Pye

    Died 1979, aged 78; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Pye in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough 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).

France12 records

12 records of the Pye 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 Athalie Lucie Pye

    Born 1921 in Paris; died 1998 in Athis-Mons (Essonne).

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

    Born 1919 in Auxerre (Yonne); died 1995 in Vence (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gaston Louis Rene Pye

    Born 1897 in Ymeray (Eure-et-Loir); died 1984 in Saint-Sébastien-de-Morsent (Eure).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Pye 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).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Pye name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Maria Joanna Clasina Pye

    In the population register of Tilburg; born 1887 in Tilburg.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Charles Lewis Henry Pye

    Baptised in 1784 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Pye in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Pye.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Pye 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 Pye volume
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