2000
#7,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Pell
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of saddles and harnesses or a furrier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,825 Americans carry the last name Pell. That puts it at #7,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pell 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 Pell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,037
Census rank
#7,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,208 bearers of the surname Pell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pell
The surname Pell originated in England, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pyll," meaning a stream or creek, suggesting an association with someone who lived near a small body of water. Alternatively, it may have stemmed from the Old French word "pel," meaning a stake or a boundary marker, implying that the name was given to someone who resided near a boundary or landmark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, where a person named Richard del Pell is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use during the 12th century. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also reference a Johannes del Pel in Oxfordshire, showcasing the variations in spelling that existed during that era.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the surname Pell. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Pelham, Pelhampton, and Peltenden.
Notable individuals with the surname Pell throughout history include:
1. Sir Walter Raleigh Pell (1775-1852), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and was involved in the exploration of the Arctic regions.
2. John Pell (1611-1685), an English mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the development of calculus and number theory.
3. Albert Pell (1842-1901), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in the late 19th century.
4. Herbert Clarence Pell (1884-1961), an American diplomat and politician who served as the United States Ambassador to Portugal and Hungary.
5. John Pell (1643-1718), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and was known for his work in theology and classical literature.
The surname Pell has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Pell Green in Hertfordshire, Pell Lane in Staffordshire, and Pell House in Surrey. These place names may have originated from the same linguistic roots as the surname and could have influenced its development and distribution across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pell
Among Census respondents with the surname Pell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pell 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 Pell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 3,761
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 177
- Two or more races3.3% · 139
- Black or African American1.7% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pell
Pell 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
#7,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,424
+95 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 404 places
2020
#7,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,208
-216 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 80 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,116 | 4,329 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,520 | 4,424 | 1.50 | +95 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 404 places |
| 2020 | #7,600 | 4,208 | 1.41 | -216 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 80 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 Pell 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 | #7,520 | #7,600 | -1.1% |
| Count | 4,424 | 4,208 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.41 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pell bearers went from 4,424 to 4,208 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 80 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,520 to #7,600.
FAQ
Pell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,825 living Americans carry the surname Pell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,037 residents.
How common is Pell?
Pell ranks #7,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,208 people with the surname Pell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,825), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Pell.
Has Pell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pell went from 4,424 recorded bearers to 4,208. That is a decrease of 216 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,520 to #7,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Pell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Pell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (3,761 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Pell (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 Pell mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of saddles and harnesses or a furrier. 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 Pell (1.41 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 Pell?
See how many people have the surname Pell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.