Find out how popular the last name Pelling is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pelling.

Pelling, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pelling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pelling in America

Pelling is the 127494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pelling surname appeared 134 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pelling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pelling to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pelling

The surname Pelling is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "pell" meaning a stream or brook, and "ing" indicating a place or settlement. This suggests the name originated as a locational name, identifying someone who lived near a particular stream or brook.

Pelling is believed to have originated in the county of Sussex, England, around the 11th or 12th century. Historically, the name was most prevalent in the areas surrounding the villages of Pelling and Pellingworth, both located in Sussex.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Pelling surname is in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, dated 1195, where a Ralph de Pelling is listed as a landowner. The Pelling family name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, indicating their presence in the region during the medieval period.

In the 14th century, the surname was sometimes spelled as "Pellyng" or "Pellynge," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common before standardization. One notable bearer of the name from this era was John Pelling, a wealthy merchant from Chichester, Sussex, who lived around 1380.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several Pelling families migrated from Sussex to other parts of England, contributing to the spread of the surname. Notable examples include William Pelling (1558-1637), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Gloucestershire, and Thomas Pelling (1608-1668), a prominent clergyman who served as Rector of Stanford Dingley in Berkshire.

In later centuries, the Pelling surname continued to be associated with various notable individuals, such as John Pelling (1768-1846), a successful businessman and philanthropist from London, and Edward Pelling (1834-1908), a renowned English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

Another individual of note was Sir John Pelling (1865-1937), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1901 to 1904. Additionally, Herbert Pelling (1884-1961) was a respected British historian and author, best known for his works on British politics and social history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pelling

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pelling.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pelling was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pelling has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pelling was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pelling, please contact us.

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