2000
#6,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,661
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Pearsall
An English occupational surname referring to a person who grows or sells pears.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,199 Americans carry the last name Pearsall. That puts it at #7,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pearsall 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 Pearsall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,927
Census rank
#7,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,534 bearers of the surname Pearsall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pearsall, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pearsall
The surname Pearsall has its origins in England, with records suggesting it emerged in the late 13th century or early 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "pere" meaning pear and "sæl" meaning hall, referring to a hall or manor where pear trees grew or where pears were stored.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a William de Pereshal in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mention a John Perishale in Somerset. These early spellings, such as Pereshal and Perishale, demonstrate the evolution of the name over time.
The name Pearsall has been associated with various locations in England, including Pearsall Green in Staffordshire and Pearsall Field in Worcestershire. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa, as people often adopted surnames based on the places they lived or held land.
Notable individuals with the surname Pearsall include:
1. Thomas Pearsall (1782-1847), an English horticulturist and botanist known for his work on rare and exotic plants.
2. Ralph Pearsall (1892-1959), an English composer and conductor, known for his choral works and orchestral pieces.
3. Duane Pearsall (1892-1977), an American historian and author, known for his books on early American history and the American Revolution.
4. Richard Pearsall (fl. 1420), an English priest and composer of sacred music during the Renaissance period.
5. William Pearsall (1834-1908), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
While the surname Pearsall has its roots in England, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and colonization. However, this historical overview focuses solely on the surname's English origins and does not delve into its presence in modern times or census data.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pearsall
Among Census respondents with the surname Pearsall, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pearsall 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 Pearsall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 3,152
- Black or African American22.7% · 1,031
- Two or more races3.6% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pearsall
Pearsall 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
#6,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,888
+227 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 196 places
2020
#7,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,534
-354 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 234 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,681 | 4,661 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,877 | 4,888 | 1.66 | +227 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 196 places |
| 2020 | #7,111 | 4,534 | 1.52 | -354 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 234 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 Pearsall 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 | #6,877 | #7,111 | -3.4% |
| Count | 4,888 | 4,534 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.52 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pearsall bearers went from 4,888 to 4,534 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 234 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,877 to #7,111.
FAQ
Pearsall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pearsall?
Name Census estimates that about 5,199 living Americans carry the surname Pearsall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,927 residents.
How common is Pearsall?
Pearsall ranks #7,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,534 people with the surname Pearsall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,199), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pearsall.
Has Pearsall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pearsall went from 4,888 recorded bearers to 4,534. That is a decrease of 354 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,877 to #7,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Pearsall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pearsall, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Pearsall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (3,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pearsall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Black (22.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Pearsall (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 Pearsall mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who grows or sells pears. 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 Pearsall (1.52 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 Americans have the surname Pearsall?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.