NameCensus.

UK surname

Piech

From Polish, meaning "oven builder".

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stafford, Darlington and Herefordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Piech is 129 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has changed.

1881 census count

-

Modern count

109

2016, ranked #29,402

Peak year

2013

129 bearers

Map years

1

2016 to 2016

Key insights

  • The latest modern count shown here is 109 in 2016, ranked #29,402.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 12 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Piech surname distribution map

The map shows where the Piech surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Piech surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Piech over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1861 historical 12 #32,329
1891 historical 9 #33,451
1901 historical 2 #34,263
1997 modern 30 #34,701
1998 modern 28 #35,053
1999 modern 27 #35,224
2000 modern 31 #34,798
2001 modern 30 #34,753
2002 modern 35 #34,554
2003 modern 33 #34,773
2004 modern 39 #34,477
2005 modern 40 #34,562
2006 modern 46 #34,415
2007 modern 64 #33,145
2008 modern 80 #31,833
2009 modern 87 #31,489
2010 modern 94 #31,111
2011 modern 90 #31,564
2012 modern 117 #27,394
2013 modern 129 #26,211
2014 modern 125 #26,896
2015 modern 117 #27,982
2016 modern 109 #29,402

Geography

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Where Piechs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stafford, Darlington, Herefordshire, Manchester and Selby. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stafford 014 Stafford
2 Darlington 008 Darlington
3 Herefordshire 020 Herefordshire, County of
4 Manchester 008 Manchester
5 Selby 005 Selby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Piech

These lists show first names that appear often with the Piech surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Piech

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Piech, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Piech surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Piech household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Piech is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Piech is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Piech falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Piech is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Piech, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Piech

The surname Piech is of Polish origin, derived from the word "piech" which means "infantry" or "foot soldier" in Polish. It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century, during the era of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, when many soldiers were granted land and adopted surnames related to their military roles.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Piech can be found in various historical documents from the 16th century, such as tax records, parish registers, and court proceedings. These records suggest that the name was initially concentrated in the regions of Lesser Poland, Silesia, and Kraków.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Piech was Jan Piech, a nobleman and military leader who lived in the late 16th century. He was recorded as having participated in several battles against the Ottomans during the Polish-Ottoman wars.

In the 17th century, the surname Piech began to spread more widely across Poland, with notable individuals including Michał Piech (1620-1689), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Krakow, and Katarzyna Piech (1645-1715), a respected scholar and writer who authored several works on Polish history and culture.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Piech continued to be well-represented among the Polish nobility and gentry. One noteworthy figure was Józef Piech (1770-1834), a military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a prominent landowner and local politician in the region of Masovia.

Other historical figures bearing the surname Piech include Stanisław Piech (1835-1910), a renowned artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits of Polish aristocracy, and Franciszek Piech (1875-1942), a respected linguist and academic who specialized in Slavic languages and literature.

Throughout its history, the surname Piech has also been associated with various place names and locations in Poland, such as the village of Piechowice in Lower Silesia, and the town of Piechów in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

FAQ

Piech surname: questions and answers

How common is the Piech surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 109 in 2016. That gives Piech a modern rank of #29,402.

What does the Piech surname mean?

From Polish, meaning "oven builder".

What does the Piech map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Piech bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.