2000
#1,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.82
Uncommon Last name
Peacock
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper or seller of peafowl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,767 Americans carry the last name Peacock. That puts it at #1,693 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peacock surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Peacock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,421
Census rank
#1,693
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,726 bearers of the surname Peacock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1693rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peacock, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peacock
The surname Peacock is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Middle English words "pe" and "cock," referring to the male peafowl or peacock bird. This name was likely first used as a nickname for someone who exhibited the proud, showy characteristics associated with the peacock.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Peacock dates back to the 13th century in Yorkshire, England. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name appeared as "Richard Pecoc." It is also found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379 as "Johannes Pecok."
The Peacock surname can be traced back to various locations in England, including Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk. Some early recordings of the name include John Pecok in the Patent Rolls of Middlesex in 1441, and Thomas Pecok in the Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester, Essex, in 1499.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Peacocke, Pecocke, and Pecoke. One notable bearer of the name was Reginald Peacock (c. 1395-c. 1460), an English bishop and theologian who wrote several works on religious reform and was later accused of heresy.
Another prominent figure with the surname Peacock was Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866), an English novelist and poet whose works satirized the literary and social circles of his time. His novels, such as "Nightmare Abbey" and "Crotchet Castle," are considered classics of English satire.
The Peacock surname has also been associated with several places in England, including Peacock Green in Hertfordshire, Peacock Farm in Gloucestershire, and Peacock Hill in Buckinghamshire. These place names may have contributed to the further spread and use of the surname in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Peacock include:
1. Thomas Peacock (1592-1658), an English composer and organist during the Baroque period.
2. Ralph Peacock (1772-1853), an English politician and businessman who served as Mayor of Warrington.
3. Nathaniel Peacock (1812-1863), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
4. Ralph Peacock (1838-1889), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
5. Thomas Brower Peacock (1834-1917), an American entrepreneur and co-founder of the Peacock Woolen Mills in Philadelphia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peacock
Among Census respondents with the surname Peacock, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Peacock bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Peacock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 16,661
- Black or African American10.3% · 2,142
- Two or more races4.1% · 842
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 739
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 152
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peacock
Peacock appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,712
+606 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 7.36
Rank movement Down 95 places
2020
#1,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,726
-986 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 6.93
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,564 | 21,106 | 7.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,659 | 21,712 | 7.36 | +606 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 95 places |
| 2020 | #1,693 | 20,726 | 6.93 | -986 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 34 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Peacock surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,659 | #1,693 | -2.0% |
| Count | 21,712 | 20,726 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 7.36 | 6.93 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peacock bearers went from 21,712 to 20,726 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,659 to #1,693.
FAQ
Peacock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peacock?
Name Census estimates that about 23,767 living Americans carry the surname Peacock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,421 residents.
How common is Peacock?
Peacock ranks #1,693 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,726 people with the surname Peacock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Peacock.
Has Peacock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peacock went from 21,712 recorded bearers to 20,726. That is a decrease of 986 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,659 to #1,693.
What does the Census say about the background of Peacock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peacock, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Peacock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (16,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peacock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Peacock (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Peacock mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper or seller of peafowl. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Peacock (6.93 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Peacock?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.