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

Peltier, 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 Peltier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peltier in America

Peltier is the 4927th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peltier surname appeared 7,140 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Peltier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peltier 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 Peltier

The surname Peltier is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "pelletier," which means "furrier" or "skinner." This occupational surname was first recorded in the 12th century in France.

The earliest known record of the Peltier name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Pelletarius" in Normandy. This suggests that the name was already established in France before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the Peltier family was prominent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northwestern France. Some early records mention a Jean Peltier, born in Rouen, Normandy, in 1458, who was a renowned furrier and merchant.

In the 16th century, the Peltier name appears in various historical documents, including parish records and tax rolls. One notable figure was Pierre Peltier (1520-1589), a merchant and landowner from Brittany, who was involved in the French Wars of Religion.

The surname Peltier also has connections to place names in France. For instance, there is a village called Peltier in the department of Ardennes, which may have derived its name from the occupational surname.

Among the notable individuals with the Peltier surname throughout history are:

1. Jean-Charles Peltier (1785-1845), a French physicist and watchmaker known for the Peltier effect, which is the basis for modern thermoelectric cooling devices.

2. Athanase Peltier (1786-1855), a French lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the French National Assembly during the July Monarchy.

3. Frédéric Peltier (1890-1963), a French painter and printmaker associated with the Fauvist and Cubist movements.

4. Anatole Peltier (1897-1984), a French actor and film director known for his work in the early days of French cinema.

5. Alphonse Peltier (1922-2009), a French author and poet who wrote extensively about the culture and history of Brittany.

While the Peltier surname is still common in France, it has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly Canada and the United States, due to immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peltier

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

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 Peltier 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 Peltier 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 Peltier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!