2000
#102,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Peda
A surname of possible Indian origin, likely referring to a peda (a type of sweet).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Peda. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peda 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Peda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peda, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peda
The surname Peda has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northern region of Punjab. The name can be traced back to the 16th century and is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "paeda," which means "footman" or "foot soldier."
During the Mughal Empire era, the Peda surname was commonly associated with individuals who served in the imperial armies as infantry soldiers or foot soldiers. Historical records from that period mention various Peda individuals who held military positions and served under the Mughal rulers.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Peda name can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It lists several individuals with the Peda surname who were part of the imperial administration or military.
In the 17th century, the Peda surname appeared in various manuscript records and local histories of the Punjab region. These documents often referred to Peda families residing in villages or towns in the area, indicating their presence as landowners or local administrators.
Notable individuals with the Peda surname include Rai Singh Peda, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the early 17th century. Another prominent figure was Daulat Khan Peda, a 17th-century nobleman and landowner from the Sialkot region of Punjab.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Peda surname was also found among the Sikh community in Punjab. Bhai Mani Singh Peda (1644-1734) was a renowned Sikh scholar and historian who wrote several important works, including the Pothi Sakhian, a collection of biographies of Sikh Gurus.
Another notable individual was General Sham Singh Peda (1823-1885), a distinguished military leader who served in the armies of the Sikh Empire and later became a prominent figure in the British Indian Army after the annexation of Punjab.
The Peda surname has also been associated with various places in Punjab, such as the village of Peda Kalan, located near the city of Jalandhar. The name "Peda" is believed to have been derived from the older place name "Pedah," which is mentioned in historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peda
Among Census respondents with the surname Peda, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Peda 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 Peda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino16.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peda
Peda 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-38 bearers (-23.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,902 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-17 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,691 | 162 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -38 bearers (-23.5%) | Down 32,902 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 16,046 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 Peda 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 | #135,593 | #151,639 | -11.8% |
| Count | 124 | 107 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peda bearers went from 124 to 107 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 16,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #151,639.
FAQ
Peda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peda?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Peda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Peda?
Peda ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Peda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Peda.
Has Peda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peda went from 124 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Peda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peda, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Peda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Hispanic (16.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Peda (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 Peda mean?
A surname of possible Indian origin, likely referring to a peda (a type of sweet). 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 Peda (0.04 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 Peda?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.