2000
#4,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.98
Rare Last name
Peak
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a pointed hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,727 Americans carry the last name Peak. That puts it at #4,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,275 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peak 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 Peak with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,275
Census rank
#4,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,610 bearers of the surname Peak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peak, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peak
The surname Peak is of English and German origin, deriving from the Old English word "peac" meaning a pointed or sharp hill. This surname likely originated as a toponymic name, referring to someone who lived near a distinctive peak or hill.
The earliest known record of the name Peak is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pec" and "Peck". This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
In medieval times, the name was commonly spelled in various ways, including Peake, Peeke, Peek, and Pyke. These variations reflect the different regional dialects and pronunciation of the name across England.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Peake (1551-1619), an English painter and courtier during the reign of King James I. He served as a Sergeant-Painter and was responsible for decorating many royal residences.
Another person of historical significance was Richard Peake (1592-1667), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, from 1637 to 1661.
In the 18th century, the name was borne by Sir Robert Peake (1713-1782), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station.
The surname Peak is also associated with Sir Henry Peake (1792-1858), an English judge and politician who served as the Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1834 to 1835.
A more recent historical figure with the surname Peak was John Peak (1823-1903), a Welsh linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of the Welsh language and literature.
Throughout history, the surname Peak has been found in various regions of England, particularly in counties such as Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire, where the landscape features distinctive peaks and hills.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peak
Among Census respondents with the surname Peak, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Peak 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 Peak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 5,886
- Black or African American12.8% · 975
- Two or more races4.3% · 327
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 79
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peak
Peak 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
#4,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,713
+679 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Up 1 places
2020
#4,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,610
-1,103 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 458 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,077 | 8,034 | 2.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,076 | 8,713 | 2.95 | +679 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 1 places |
| 2020 | #4,534 | 7,610 | 2.55 | -1,103 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 458 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 Peak 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 | #4,076 | #4,534 | -11.2% |
| Count | 8,713 | 7,610 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.95 | 2.55 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peak bearers went from 8,713 to 7,610 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 458 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,076 to #4,534.
FAQ
Peak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peak?
Name Census estimates that about 8,727 living Americans carry the surname Peak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,275 residents.
How common is Peak?
Peak ranks #4,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,610 people with the surname Peak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Peak.
Has Peak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peak went from 8,713 recorded bearers to 7,610. That is a decrease of 1,103 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,076 to #4,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Peak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peak, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Peak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (5,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Peak (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 Peak mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a pointed hill or mountain. 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 Peak (2.55 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 last name Peak?
See how many people have the last name Peak on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.