2000
#14,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Pellegrin
An Italian occupational surname referring to a furrier or leather tanner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,370 Americans carry the last name Pellegrin. That puts it at #13,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pellegrin 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
2.4K
1 in 144,622
Census rank
#13,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,067 bearers of the surname Pellegrin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pellegrin
The surname Pellegrin has its origins in Italy, specifically in the northern regions such as Lombardy and Piedmont. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "pellegrino," which translates to "pilgrim" or "traveler."
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Codex Astensis, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Asti in Piedmont, dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in reference to individuals who had undertaken pilgrimages to holy sites, a common practice during that time.
The surname Pellegrin is also found in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Catasto Fiorentino, a tax record from Florence, and the Libro delle Cartepecora, an official registry from Siena. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Italy by that time.
In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with the life of Sebastiano Pellegrin (1510-1592), a renowned Italian painter and architect who worked in Venice and other cities of the Venetian Republic. His notable works include the frescoes in the Church of San Stae in Venice and the design of the Church of San Zaccaria.
Another notable figure with this surname was Giovanni Domenico Pellegrin (1672-1759), an Italian-born playwright and librettist who spent a significant part of his career in France. He wrote numerous operas and tragedies, including the libretto for Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera "Hippolyte et Aricie."
In the 19th century, the surname Pellegrin was associated with Pietro Pellegrin (1819-1897), an Italian politician and patriot who played a role in the Risorgimento, the movement that led to the unification of Italy.
The name can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as France and Spain, where it likely spread through migration and trade during the medieval and Renaissance periods. For example, the Spanish painter José Pellegrin (1770-1840) was a prominent figure in the Neoclassical art movement.
Throughout history, the surname Pellegrin has been associated with various occupations, including pilgrims, travelers, artists, writers, and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pellegrin
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pellegrin 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 Pellegrin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 1,855
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 88
- Two or more races2.8% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 46
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pellegrin
Pellegrin 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
#14,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,080
+149 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#13,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,067
-13 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,250 | 1,931 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,374 | 2,080 | 0.71 | +149 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #13,967 | 2,067 | 0.69 | -13 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 407 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 Pellegrin 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 | #14,374 | #13,967 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,080 | 2,067 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.69 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pellegrin bearers went from 2,080 to 2,067 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 407 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,374 to #13,967.
FAQ
Pellegrin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pellegrin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,370 living Americans carry the surname Pellegrin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,622 residents.
How common is Pellegrin?
Pellegrin ranks #13,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,067 people with the surname Pellegrin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Pellegrin.
Has Pellegrin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pellegrin went from 2,080 recorded bearers to 2,067. That is a decrease of 13 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,374 to #13,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Pellegrin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Pellegrin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,855 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pellegrin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Pellegrin (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 Pellegrin mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a furrier or leather tanner. 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 Pellegrin (0.69 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 surname Pellegrin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.