2000
#2,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,030
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.20
Uncommon Last name
Pederson
A patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Peder, meaning "son of Peder."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,703 Americans carry the last name Pederson. That puts it at #2,577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,827 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pederson 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 Pederson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,827
Census rank
#2,577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,694 bearers of the surname Pederson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pederson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pederson
The surname Pederson is of Scandinavian origin, derived from the Old Norse personal name Peder, itself originating from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock". The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Denmark and Norway.
Pederson is a patronymic surname, meaning it was initially used to identify the son of a person named Peder. In the early days, it would have been spelled as Pedersson, Pederssøn, or Pederzen, before evolving into its more modern form.
Historical records show that the name Pederson was particularly prevalent in the coastal regions of Denmark and Norway, where it was commonly borne by fishermen, sailors, and merchants. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Peder Jakobsson, a Norwegian chieftain and landowner who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Pederson name appears in several Danish and Norwegian chronicles and manuscripts, including the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents. One notable figure from this period is Peder Oxe (1420-1482), a Danish statesman and military leader who served as Lord High Steward of Denmark.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pederson surname spread across Scandinavia and eventually to other parts of Europe and North America as people migrated. One notable bearer of the name was Peder Pedersen Beyer (1538-1619), a Norwegian Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the introduction of Protestantism to Norway.
In the 18th century, the Pederson name gained prominence in the fields of science and exploration. Hans Peter Holm Pedersen-Malling (1770-1835) was a Danish naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic region.
As the Pederson surname spread across the globe, it produced several notable figures in various fields. Henrik Pedersen (1867-1953) was a Danish composer and conductor, while Viggo Pedersen (1887-1977) was a Danish actor and film director. In more recent times, the name has been borne by individuals such as Poul Nyrup Pedersen (born 1942), a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1993 to 2001.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pederson
Among Census respondents with the surname Pederson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pederson 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 Pederson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 12,588
- Two or more races3.1% · 425
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 110
- Black or African American0.4% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pederson
Pederson 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
#2,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,370
+340 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 4.87
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#2,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,694
-676 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 4.58
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,366 | 14,030 | 5.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,520 | 14,370 | 4.87 | +340 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #2,577 | 13,694 | 4.58 | -676 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 57 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 Pederson 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 | #2,520 | #2,577 | -2.3% |
| Count | 14,370 | 13,694 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.87 | 4.58 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pederson bearers went from 14,370 to 13,694 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,520 to #2,577.
FAQ
Pederson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pederson?
Name Census estimates that about 15,703 living Americans carry the surname Pederson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,827 residents.
How common is Pederson?
Pederson ranks #2,577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,694 people with the surname Pederson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Pederson.
Has Pederson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pederson went from 14,370 recorded bearers to 13,694. That is a decrease of 676 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,520 to #2,577.
What does the Census say about the background of Pederson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pederson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Pederson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (12,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pederson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Pederson (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 Pederson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Peder, meaning "son of Peder." 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 Pederson (4.58 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 share the surname Pederson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.