Find out how popular the last name Pedersen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pedersen.

Pedersen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pedersen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pedersen in America

Pedersen is the 1780th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pedersen surname appeared 20,135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Pedersen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pedersen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pedersen

The surname Pedersen originates from Denmark and Norway, and it dates back to the early medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the given name Peter, which itself comes from the Greek word "petros," meaning "rock." The suffix "-sen" indicates "son of," so Pedersen literally means "son of Peter."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Pedersen appears in the Danish Census Book of 1890, where it is listed as one of the most common surnames in the country. This suggests that the name had already been in use for several centuries by that point.

In Norway, the name Pedersen can be traced back to the 13th century, when it was commonly found in the regions of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in Norway include Peder Magnusson Pedersen, a farmer who lived in the village of Holtan in the late 16th century, and Hans Pedersen, a merchant from Trondheim who was mentioned in a trade record from 1624.

During the Middle Ages, the name Pedersen was often associated with the clergy and the educated classes, as the name Peter was popular among Christians due to its biblical connections. One notable example is Peder Pedersen Plade (c. 1510-1585), a Danish theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Denmark.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Pedersen was Peder Griffenfeld (1635-1699), a Danish statesman and diplomat who served as the Chancellor of Denmark under King Christian V. He was involved in the Scandinavian branch of the Northern Wars and played a crucial role in the Treaty of Lund in 1679.

In the 19th century, the name Pedersen was associated with several prominent figures, including Jens Andreas Pedersen (1792-1857), a Norwegian philologist and lexicographer who is best known for his work on the Dano-Norwegian language, and Carl Pedersen (1854-1926), a Danish linguist and scholar of comparative linguistics.

While the surname Pedersen is most common in Denmark and Norway, it has also been found in other parts of Scandinavia, as well as in the United States and other countries where Scandinavian immigrants settled. Despite its widespread use, the name has retained its strong connection to its Danish and Norwegian origins throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pedersen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pedersen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pedersen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pedersen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pedersen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pedersen, please contact us.

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