2000
#8,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,763
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Peer
A surname referring to a companion, equal in rank, or a member of the nobility in the British Isles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,077 Americans carry the last name Peer. That puts it at #8,847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,070 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peer 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 Peer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,070
Census rank
#8,847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,555 bearers of the surname Peer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peer
The surname PEER is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "pere," which means "pear tree." This surname likely originated in the medieval period and was initially used to identify individuals who lived near or owned land with pear trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PEER can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England at the time of the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book mentions a person named Radulfus Peer, who held lands in Oxfordshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname PEER appeared in various records and documents across England. For example, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a William le Peer residing in Cambridgeshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John Peer in Somerset.
The surname PEER may also be associated with certain place names, such as Peerston or Peertown, which were derived from the Old English words "pere" and "tun," meaning "pear tree settlement."
Notable individuals with the surname PEER throughout history include:
1. Sir Robert Peer (1588-1670), an English politician and member of parliament during the English Civil War.
2. Henry Peer (1612-1690), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Mary Peer (1789-1853), a British painter and illustrator known for her botanical illustrations.
4. William Peer (1823-1899), an American engineer who designed and constructed several bridges and railroads in the United States.
5. Arthur Peer (1886-1968), a British artist and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from World War I.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname PEER who have left their mark throughout history, demonstrating the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peer
Among Census respondents with the surname Peer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Peer 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 Peer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 3,115
- Two or more races3.8% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 109
- Black or African American2.7% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peer
Peer 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
#8,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,736
-27 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 655 places
2020
#8,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,555
-181 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,118 | 3,763 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,773 | 3,736 | 1.27 | -27 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 655 places |
| 2020 | #8,847 | 3,555 | 1.19 | -181 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 74 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 Peer 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 | #8,773 | #8,847 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,736 | 3,555 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.19 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peer bearers went from 3,736 to 3,555 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,773 to #8,847.
FAQ
Peer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,077 living Americans carry the surname Peer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,070 residents.
How common is Peer?
Peer ranks #8,847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,555 people with the surname Peer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Peer.
Has Peer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peer went from 3,736 recorded bearers to 3,555. That is a decrease of 181 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,773 to #8,847.
What does the Census say about the background of Peer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Peer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (3,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Peer (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 Peer mean?
A surname referring to a companion, equal in rank, or a member of the nobility in the British Isles. 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 Peer (1.19 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 Peer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.