2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pelger
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Pilger" meaning "pilgrim."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Pelger. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pelger 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Pelger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pelger
The surname Pelger is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "pelger," which translates to "pilgrim" or "traveler." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who frequently traveled or went on pilgrimages.
One of the earliest documented references to the Pelger surname can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Johannes Pelger was mentioned in a document from 1521. Another early record dates back to 1583, when a Hans Pelger was listed as a resident of the town of Augsburg.
In the 17th century, the Pelger surname appeared in various regions of Germany, including the states of Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled variations such as "Pelger," "Pölger," or "Pölcher."
One notable individual with the Pelger surname was Johann Christoph Pelger, a German composer and organist who lived from 1665 to 1737. He was known for his works for organ and other church music.
Another historical figure was Friedrich Pelger, a German theologian and philosopher who was born in 1778 and died in 1848. He was a professor at the University of Erlangen and wrote several books on philosophy and religion.
In the 19th century, the Pelger surname spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland. One example is Karl Pelger, an Austrian painter who lived from 1857 to 1927 and was known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
The Pelger name also found its way to the United States and other parts of the world through immigration. One early American with this surname was Johann Pelger, who arrived in Philadelphia from Germany in 1749.
Overall, the Pelger surname has a rich history that can be traced back to its German roots and the concept of a traveler or pilgrim. While its origins may be humble, the name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and composers, throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pelger
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pelger 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 Pelger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 108
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pelger
Pelger 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-11 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,997 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 16,997 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,943 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 Pelger 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 | #137,327 | #144,270 | -5.1% |
| Count | 122 | 117 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pelger bearers went from 122 to 117 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #144,270.
FAQ
Pelger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pelger?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Pelger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Pelger?
Pelger ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Pelger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Pelger.
Has Pelger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pelger went from 122 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Pelger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pelger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pelger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pelger (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 Pelger mean?
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Pilger" meaning "pilgrim." 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 Pelger (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 have the last name Pelger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Pelger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.