2000
#6,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Peavy
An English occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who worked in a bakery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,309 Americans carry the last name Peavy. That puts it at #6,995 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peavy 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.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,561
Census rank
#6,995
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,630 bearers of the surname Peavy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6995th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peavy
The surname Peavy has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "peavie," which referred to a type of pole or stick used by lumberjacks and farmers for moving heavy objects.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Peavy can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Peavie." This suggests that the name was initially used as an occupational surname for those who worked with peavies or were involved in the lumber or farming industries.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various medieval records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it was spelled as "Pevy." This variation in spelling was common during that time period due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Peavy surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset in the south-west of England. Notable individuals with this surname from that era include Thomas Peavy (born c. 1550), a landowner in Gloucestershire, and John Peavy (c. 1610-1678), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
As the British Empire expanded, some Peavys emigrated to various colonies, including North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World was William Peavy, who settled in Virginia in 1635.
In the 18th century, the Peavy surname was also found in Scotland, with records showing a John Peavy (1712-1785) from Aberdeenshire, who worked as a blacksmith.
Throughout history, the Peavy name has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, forestry, and metalworking, reflecting its occupational origins. Other notable individuals with this surname include Sir Edmund Peavy (1856-1932), a British diplomat and author, and Edna Ferber Peavy (1888-1968), an American novelist and playwright best known for her novel "Show Boat."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peavy
Among Census respondents with the surname Peavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Peavy 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 Peavy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 2,908
- Black or African American29.6% · 1,372
- Two or more races4.0% · 185
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 119
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peavy
Peavy 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
#6,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,016
+82 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 373 places
2020
#6,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,630
-386 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,353 | 4,934 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,726 | 5,016 | 1.70 | +82 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 373 places |
| 2020 | #6,995 | 4,630 | 1.55 | -386 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 269 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 Peavy 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 | #6,726 | #6,995 | -4.0% |
| Count | 5,016 | 4,630 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.55 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peavy bearers went from 5,016 to 4,630 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 269 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,726 to #6,995.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Peavy
FAQ
Peavy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peavy?
Name Census estimates that about 5,309 living Americans carry the surname Peavy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,561 residents.
How common is Peavy?
Peavy ranks #6,995 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 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 4,630 people with the surname Peavy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,309), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 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 Peavy.
Has Peavy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peavy went from 5,016 recorded bearers to 4,630. That is a decrease of 386 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,726 to #6,995.
What does the Census say about the background of Peavy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Peavy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (2,908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peavy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Black (29.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Peavy (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 Peavy mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who worked in a bakery. 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 Peavy (1.55 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 Peavy?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Peavy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.