Pike (surname)

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Pike
Family Name
Meaning pike (fish, weapon), turnpike
Region of origin England, Wales
Language of origin English
Popularity Behind the Name 
Wikipedia articles All pages beginning with Pike


For other uses, see Pike.
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Pike is a common family name, particularly among English-speaking populations.

In the United States, Pike is the 1138th most common surname (based on the 1990 census). In England and Wales, it is the 513th most common surname (based on a Sept 2002 database of the Office for National Statistics). In Newfoundland, Pike is especially common, ranking 22nd among all surnames there (based on the 1955 voters list, as reported by E.R. Seary in "Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland").

[edit] Derivation

The origins of the name are not entirely clear. Individuals may have adopted the surname based on an association with Pike (the fish), Pike (the weapon), or a turnpike (one of the early meanings of which was a turning pike, a horizontal timber that was mounted so as to be able to spin or turn (such turnpikes apparently served as barriers to prevent horses from accessing foot paths, and in other instances to block passage until a toll had been paid). It has also been speculated that the name Pike might be derived in some instances from the word "peak", such as when somebody resided at the peak of a hill (note, for instance, the usage of the word "pike" in the name of Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain).

[edit] Notable people with the surname "Pike"

  • Albert Pike (1809–1891), American attorney, soldier, writer, and Confederate general
  • Alfred Pike
  • Austin F. Pike
  • Brian Pike
  • Bronwyn Pike
  • Burton Pike
  • Christopher Pike (author), pseudonym of Kevin McFadden (1954–), American writer
  • Danny Pike
  • Dave Pike
  • Frank Pike, Canadian soccer
  • Geoff Pike, English footballer
  • Geoff Pike (author/illustrator), of best-selling books and creator of the first video on tai-chi
  • Holly Pike (contemporary), Canadian politician, Newfoundland and Labrador, member of the New Democratic Party
  • James Pike (1913–1969), American Episcopal bishop, Diocese of California
  • James Shepherd Pike (19th century), journalist criticized for distorting Reconstruction era in South Carolina
  • Jay Pike
  • Jennifer Pike
  • Jill Pike (contemporary), American radio personality
  • Jim Pike
  • Jimmy (Jim) Pike (b. 1955), Director of System Architecture / Distinguished Engineer for Dell Data Center Solutions group. A seasoned veteran with more than 30 years of experience has held key technical roles are AT&T, NCR, and Intel.
  • John Pike (actor) (b. 1945-01-07), actor (IMDB)
  • John Pike (settler) (1572–1654), settler in Newbury, Massachusetts
  • John E. Pike American science writer and political consultant
  • Jonathan Pike (1949–), British architectural painter
  • Kenneth L. Pike (1912–2000), American linguist and anthropologist
  • Lip Pike (1845–1893), American star of 19th century baseball
  • Dr. Magnus Pike (1908–1992), British scientist and TV personality
  • Martin Pike (1972–), Australian Football League player
  • Mervyn Pike (1918–2004), British Dame of the Order of the British Empire
  • Natalie Pike (1983–), English model, winner of the Miss British Isles Competition in 2004
  • Otis G. Pike
  • Patrice Pike
  • Peter Pike (1937–), British politician, Member of Parliament (–2005), member of the Labour Party
  • Rob Pike (1956–), American software engineer, worked at Bell Labs as a member of the Unix team, now works for Google
  • Rosamund Pike (1979–), British actress
  • Thomas Pike, marshal of the Royal Air Force
  • William Pike (–1591), Catholic martyr
  • Zebulon Pike (1779–1813), American soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak is named

[edit] Fictional characters

  • Christopher Pike (Star Trek)
  • Ernie Pike, in Argentinian comics novel, written by Hector German Oesterheld, drawn by Hugo Pratt
  • Private Frank Pike, naive young bank clerk and Home Guard private in Dad's Army and It Sticks Out Half a Mile
  • Joe Pike, Elvis Cole's partner in a series of private-eye novels by Robert Crais
  • Pike (Buffyverse character), in the movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played by Luke Perry
  • Wolfrider, pike-skilled male elf in the comic book Elfquest
  • Asa Pike, in Children of the Red King novels
WP Anthroponymy notice This page or section lists people with the surname Pike. If an internal link for a specific person referred you to this page, you may wish to add the given name(s) to that link.