2000
#9,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,072
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Peart
Derived from a Middle English term for a person who appears gentle or well-mannered.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,340 Americans carry the last name Peart. That puts it at #8,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peart 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 Peart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,976
Census rank
#8,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,785 bearers of the surname Peart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peart, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are White (43.9%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peart
The surname Peart is of English origin, derived from a locational name for someone who lived near a pear tree. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the 12th century.
The name is derived from the Old English words "pere" meaning pear tree, and "ēard" meaning dwelling or homestead. It was initially spelled as Perert, Perart, or Perarde before evolving into its modern form, Peart.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1190, where a Robertus Perert is mentioned. Another early record is in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1327, which lists a John Peart.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with names containing the word "pere," indicating the presence of pear trees in those areas. This suggests that the surname Peart may have originated from people living near these locations.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Peart. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Peart (1505-1568), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure was William Peart (1664-1726), a successful merchant and landowner in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. His descendants played a significant role in the development of the wool trade in that region.
In the 19th century, James Peart (1835-1908) was a prominent architect in Toronto, Canada, known for designing several notable buildings, including the Massey Music Hall and the Toronto Public Library.
More recently, Neil Peart (1952-2020) was a Canadian drummer and lyricist, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist for the rock band Rush. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
Another contemporary figure is the British author and broadcaster Janina Peart, whose works include the book "Outrunners" and the BBC Radio 4 series "Caught Shredding."
The surname Peart has a rich historical legacy, spanning centuries and encompassing individuals from various professions and backgrounds, all connected by their shared surname derived from the humble pear tree.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peart
Among Census respondents with the surname Peart, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are White (43.9%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Peart 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 Peart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.6% · 1,764
- White43.9% · 1,662
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 196
- Two or more races3.5% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peart
Peart 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
#8,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,717
+645 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 895 places
2020
#8,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,785
+68 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 434 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,703 | 3,072 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,808 | 3,717 | 1.26 | +645 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 895 places |
| 2020 | #8,374 | 3,785 | 1.27 | +68 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 434 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 Peart 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 | #8,808 | #8,374 | 4.9% |
| Count | 3,717 | 3,785 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.27 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peart bearers went from 3,717 to 3,785 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 434 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,808 to #8,374.
FAQ
Peart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peart?
Name Census estimates that about 4,340 living Americans carry the surname Peart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,976 residents.
How common is Peart?
Peart ranks #8,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,785 people with the surname Peart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Peart.
Has Peart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peart went from 3,717 recorded bearers to 3,785. That is an increase of 68 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,808 to #8,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Peart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peart, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are White (43.9%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Peart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.6% (1,764 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.6%), White (43.9%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Peart (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 Peart mean?
Derived from a Middle English term for a person who appears gentle or well-mannered. 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 Peart (1.27 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 Peart?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.