2000
#14,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,864
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Pelt
An occupational surname referring to a furrier or skinner who prepared animal pelts for use in clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,195 Americans carry the last name Pelt. That puts it at #14,862 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pelt 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
2.2K
1 in 156,152
Census rank
#14,862
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,914 bearers of the surname Pelt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14862nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pelt
The surname PELT has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "pelt," which referred to the skin or fur of an animal, particularly one used for clothing or trade. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked with pelts or furs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert le Pelter is mentioned. The prefix "le" indicates the French influence on English surnames during this period. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled for the King, listing landowners and their holdings.
The surname PELT is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which were tax records for the county of Worcestershire. These records list a John le Pelter and a William le Pelter, further solidifying the occupational connection of the name.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family in Norfolk. In 1451, a letter mentions a John Pelte, indicating the gradual transition from the earlier "le Pelter" spelling to the more modern form.
During the Tudor period, the PELT surname gained prominence with the birth of Richard Pelt (c. 1500-1588), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London. He served as Sheriff of London in 1549 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, establishing several charitable trusts.
Another notable figure was Sir Edward Pelt (1615-1679), a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire during the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and was knighted by Oliver Cromwell in 1655.
In the 18th century, the PELT name found its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Pelt (1720-1794), a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania who fought in the Battle of Brandywine.
The 19th century saw the birth of Catherine Pelt (1817-1892), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, one of the first institutions in the United States dedicated to providing higher education for women.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pelt
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pelt 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 Pelt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.6% · 1,122
- Black or African American29.0% · 556
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 71
- Two or more races3.4% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pelt
Pelt 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
#14,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,077
+213 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 242 places
2020
#14,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,914
-163 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,634 | 1,864 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,392 | 2,077 | 0.70 | +213 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 242 places |
| 2020 | #14,862 | 1,914 | 0.64 | -163 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 470 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 Pelt 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 | #14,392 | #14,862 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,077 | 1,914 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.64 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pelt bearers went from 2,077 to 1,914 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 470 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,392 to #14,862.
FAQ
Pelt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pelt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,195 living Americans carry the surname Pelt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,152 residents.
How common is Pelt?
Pelt ranks #14,862 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,914 people with the surname Pelt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Pelt.
Has Pelt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pelt went from 2,077 recorded bearers to 1,914. That is a decrease of 163 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,392 to #14,862.
What does the Census say about the background of Pelt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%). 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 Pelt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.6% (1,122 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pelt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.6%), Black (29.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%). 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 Pelt (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 Pelt mean?
An occupational surname referring to a furrier or skinner who prepared animal pelts for use in clothing. 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 Pelt (0.64 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 last name Pelt?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Pelt at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.