2000
#9,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Pelham
From an English place name meaning "enclosure with a pool," derived from the Old English elements poll and ham.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,649 Americans carry the last name Pelham. That puts it at #9,734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pelham 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 Pelham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 93,931
Census rank
#9,734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,182 bearers of the surname Pelham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelham, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pelham
The surname Pelham originated in England and has a long history dating back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the Old English words "pell" meaning "hill" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". It is believed to have originated from the place name Pelham in Hertfordshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Pelham".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pelham can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire from the year 1166, where a Robert de Pelham is mentioned. The name continued to appear in various historical records throughout the Middle Ages, often associated with notable individuals and families from the county of Hertfordshire.
In the 13th century, Sir Walter de Pelham was a prominent figure who served as Lord of the Manor of Pelham. He was also a member of the English Parliament and played a role in the negotiation of the Magna Carta in 1215. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Pelham, who lived in the late 14th century and served as a knight in the service of King Edward III.
During the Tudor period, the Pelham family gained significant influence and wealth. Sir William Pelham (1456-1538) was a successful lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1520 to 1538. His son, also named William Pelham (1486-1567), was a prominent statesman and courtier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland and Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex.
In the 17th century, Thomas Pelham (1597-1654) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons. His son, Thomas Pelham (1628-1712), was created Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1757 to 1762.
The Pelham name has also been associated with various places and landmarks throughout England. For example, the town of Pelham in Hertfordshire, as well as Pelham Hall and Pelham Park in the same county, are named after the historic Pelham family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pelham
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelham, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pelham 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 Pelham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 2,322
- Black or African American17.7% · 563
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 149
- Two or more races3.7% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pelham
Pelham 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
#9,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,282
+107 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 448 places
2020
#9,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,182
-100 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,406 | 3,175 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,854 | 3,282 | 1.11 | +107 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 448 places |
| 2020 | #9,734 | 3,182 | 1.06 | -100 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 120 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 Pelham 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 | #9,854 | #9,734 | 1.2% |
| Count | 3,282 | 3,182 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.06 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pelham bearers went from 3,282 to 3,182 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,854 to #9,734.
FAQ
Pelham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pelham?
Name Census estimates that about 3,649 living Americans carry the surname Pelham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,931 residents.
How common is Pelham?
Pelham ranks #9,734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,182 people with the surname Pelham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Pelham.
Has Pelham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pelham went from 3,282 recorded bearers to 3,182. That is a decrease of 100 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,854 to #9,734.
What does the Census say about the background of Pelham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelham, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Pelham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (2,322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pelham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (17.7%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Pelham (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 Pelham mean?
From an English place name meaning "enclosure with a pool," derived from the Old English elements poll and ham. 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 Pelham (1.06 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 common is the surname Pelham?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Pelham is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.