2000
#9,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Peet
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pit" or "hollow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,704 Americans carry the last name Peet. That puts it at #9,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peet 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 Peet with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,536
Census rank
#9,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,230 bearers of the surname Peet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peet, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peet
The surname Peet originated in England in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle English word 'pet', which means a spoiled or indulged child. The name likely referred to someone who was considered spoiled or pampered.
The name Peet can be traced back to the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, where it was first recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. Some of the earliest recorded spellings include Pette, Petit, and Petet.
In the 16th century, the name Peet began appearing in parish records across various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name had spread from its East Anglian origins.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Peet was John Peet, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327. Another early record is of William Peet, who was listed in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1334.
During the 17th century, the name Peet was associated with several notable individuals. Robert Peet (1619-1687) was an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Compton in Berkshire. John Peet (1627-1692) was a nonconformist minister and author from Yorkshire.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name Peet was Joseph Peet (1756-1833), a British architect who designed several buildings in London, including St. Luke's Church in Chelsea.
Other historical figures with the surname Peet include William Peet (1797-1871), an English landscape painter, and Charles Peet (1834-1891), a British geologist and palaeontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil plants.
The name Peet has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Peet's Hill in Yorkshire and Peet's Lane in Lancashire, further indicating its long-standing presence in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peet
Among Census respondents with the surname Peet, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Peet 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 Peet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 2,586
- Black or African American10.5% · 338
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 135
- Two or more races3.5% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peet
Peet 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
#9,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,434
+149 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 342 places
2020
#9,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,230
-204 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,129 | 3,285 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,471 | 3,434 | 1.16 | +149 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 342 places |
| 2020 | #9,613 | 3,230 | 1.08 | -204 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 142 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 Peet 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 | #9,471 | #9,613 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,434 | 3,230 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.08 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peet bearers went from 3,434 to 3,230 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,471 to #9,613.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Peet
FAQ
Peet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peet?
Name Census estimates that about 3,704 living Americans carry the surname Peet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,536 residents.
How common is Peet?
Peet ranks #9,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,230 people with the surname Peet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,704), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Peet.
Has Peet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peet went from 3,434 recorded bearers to 3,230. That is a decrease of 204 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,471 to #9,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Peet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peet, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Peet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (2,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (10.5%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Peet (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 Peet mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pit" or "hollow." 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 Peet (1.08 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 Americans have the surname Peet?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.