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

Pehrson, 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 Pehrson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pehrson in America

Pehrson is the 16616th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pehrson surname appeared 1,726 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pehrson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pehrson 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 Pehrson

The surname Pehrson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly Sweden, and dates back to the 16th century. It is a patronymic name, meaning that it was derived from the father's given name, in this case, Pehr, which is a Swedish form of the name Peter. The suffix "-son" was added to indicate "son of," making Pehrson literally mean "son of Pehr."

The name Pehrson first appeared in historical records in the late 16th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being in the Swedish parish records of Värmland in 1594. During this time, Sweden was transitioning from using patronymics to adopting hereditary surnames, and Pehrson became a common surname among families with ancestors named Pehr.

In the 17th century, the name Pehrson was found in various parts of Sweden, including the regions of Småland, Västergötland, and Dalarna. It was particularly prevalent in rural areas, where the use of patronymics was more common. Some variations in spelling, such as Persson and Pärsson, were also documented during this period.

One notable individual with the surname Pehrson was Carl Henrik Pehrson (1722-1798), a Swedish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of the Swedish East India Company. Another was Johan Pehrson (1764-1807), a Swedish composer and organist who served as the director of music at the Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm.

In the 19th century, the surname Pehrson continued to be widely used in Sweden, and it also began to appear in other parts of the world as Swedish emigrants sought new opportunities abroad. For example, Johan Alfred Pehrson (1844-1917) was a Swedish-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Rockford, Illinois, from 1901 to 1905.

Another notable individual with the surname Pehrson was Evert Pehrson (1882-1945), a Swedish writer and journalist who was known for his contributions to the labor movement and his work as a literary critic. In the field of science, Nils Pehrson (1892-1974) was a Swedish physicist who made significant contributions to the development of nuclear physics and the study of atomic structure.

While the surname Pehrson has its roots in Sweden, it has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. Despite its widespread use, the name continues to be strongly associated with its Swedish heritage and patronymic origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pehrson

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

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 Pehrson 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 Pehrson 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 Pehrson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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