2000
#9,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Pellerin
A French occupational surname referring to a furrier or a leather tanner and processor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,512 Americans carry the last name Pellerin. That puts it at #10,037 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,595 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pellerin 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
3.5K
1 in 97,595
Census rank
#10,037
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,063 bearers of the surname Pellerin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10037th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellerin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pellerin
The surname Pellerin originated in France and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "pelerin," which means "pilgrim." This suggests that the name may have been initially applied to someone who had made a pilgrimage, perhaps to the Holy Land or to one of the major shrines in Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in various French records from the 12th and 13th centuries. For example, the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a medieval manuscript from the late 12th century, mentions a "Petrus Peregrinus" (Peter the Pilgrim), which may be an early form of the surname.
Another early reference is found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of citizens in the city of Rouen, which includes a "Guillaume Pelerin" in 1292. This spelling is closer to the modern French form of the name.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in several other regions of France, with variations in spelling such as "Pelegrin," "Pelegrin," and "Pellegrin." These variations likely reflect the different regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
One notable bearer of the name was Jean Pellerin (c. 1445-1524), a French printer and engraver who was active in Paris during the Renaissance. He is considered one of the pioneers of printmaking in France and is best known for his series of engravings depicting the Life of Christ.
Another significant figure was Pierre Pellerin (1663-1713), a French numismatist and antiquarian who amassed a vast collection of ancient coins and medals. His collection formed the basis of the Cabinet des Médailles at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
In the 18th century, Jacques-Gabriel Pellerin (1724-1807) was a French architect and writer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Église Saint-Sulpice and the Hôtel de Salm.
Moving into the 19th century, Eugène Pellerin (1810-1880) was a French lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the National Assembly during the Second Republic and the early years of the Third Republic.
Finally, one of the most famous bearers of the name in recent history was the French writer and poet Robert Pellerin (1880-1915), who was killed during World War I and is remembered for his evocative descriptions of life in rural Normandy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pellerin
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellerin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pellerin 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 Pellerin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 2,591
- Black or African American5.9% · 180
- Two or more races4.6% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pellerin
Pellerin 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
#9,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,259
+133 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 369 places
2020
#10,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,063
-196 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,543 | 3,126 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,912 | 3,259 | 1.10 | +133 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 369 places |
| 2020 | #10,037 | 3,063 | 1.02 | -196 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 125 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 Pellerin 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 | #9,912 | #10,037 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,259 | 3,063 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.02 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pellerin bearers went from 3,259 to 3,063 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 125 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,912 to #10,037.
FAQ
Pellerin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pellerin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,512 living Americans carry the surname Pellerin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,595 residents.
How common is Pellerin?
Pellerin ranks #10,037 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,063 people with the surname Pellerin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,512), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Pellerin.
Has Pellerin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pellerin went from 3,259 recorded bearers to 3,063. That is a decrease of 196 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,912 to #10,037.
What does the Census say about the background of Pellerin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellerin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pellerin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (2,591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pellerin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pellerin (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 Pellerin mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a furrier or a leather tanner and processor. 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 Pellerin (1.02 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 Pellerin?
See how many people are called Pellerin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.