2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pehr
An archaic form of "Pierre" meaning "rock" or "stone" in French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Pehr. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pehr 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Pehr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pehr
The surname PEHR is of Swedish origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the personal name Pehr, which is a Swedish form of the name Peter. The name Peter, in turn, comes from the Greek word "petros," meaning "rock."
The PEHR surname was most commonly found in the regions of Småland, Västergötland, and Halland in southern Sweden. Early records show spellings such as Pehr, Pehrs, and Pehrsson, with the latter indicating a patronymic form meaning "son of Pehr."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PEHR surname can be found in the Swedish Census of 1570, where a man named Pehr Andersson is listed as a resident of Jönköping, a city in the province of Småland.
The PEHR name also appears in various historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, a merchant named Pehr Hansson is mentioned in the records of the city of Gothenburg in 1692, and a farmer named Pehr Johansson is listed in the parish records of Kållerup, Halland, in 1745.
Notable individuals with the PEHR surname include:
1. Pehr Kalm (1716-1779), a Swedish explorer and botanist who traveled to North America and documented the flora and fauna of the New World.
2. Pehr Osbeck (1723-1805), a Swedish naturalist and explorer who accompanied Carl Linnaeus on several expeditions and made significant contributions to the study of natural history.
3. Pehr Hilleström (1732-1816), a Swedish painter known for his portraits and genre scenes depicting the everyday life of the Swedish upper class.
4. Pehr Björnström (1742-1805), a Swedish nobleman and politician who served as the Governor of Stockholm County.
5. Pehr Henrik Ling (1776-1839), a Swedish poet, author, and pioneer of the Swedish gymnastics movement, known for developing the system of physical education known as "Swedish gymnastics" or "Ling gymnastics."
The PEHR surname has a long and rich history in Sweden, with roots dating back to the 16th century. While it may not be as common today as it once was, it remains an important part of Swedish genealogy and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pehr
Among Census respondents with the surname Pehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pehr 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 Pehr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pehr
Pehr 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
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,645 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,716 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,645 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,716 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 Pehr 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 | #141,309 | -4.2% |
| Count | 124 | 121 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pehr bearers went from 124 to 121 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,716 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #141,309.
FAQ
Pehr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pehr?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Pehr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Pehr?
Pehr ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Pehr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Pehr.
Has Pehr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pehr went from 124 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Pehr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Pehr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pehr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (11.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Pehr (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 Pehr mean?
An archaic form of "Pierre" meaning "rock" or "stone" in French. 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 Pehr (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 are called Pehr?
See how many people are called Pehr on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.