2000
#3,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.02
Uncommon Last name
Pemberton
From a place name meaning "Pēotbere's town," derived from the Old English personal name Pēotbere and tūn "enclosure, town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,460 Americans carry the last name Pemberton. That puts it at #3,241 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,508 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pemberton 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pemberton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,508
Census rank
#3,241
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,866 bearers of the surname Pemberton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3241st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pemberton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pemberton
The surname Pemberton traces its origins back to England. It is derived from the Old English words "Pendre" meaning a valley or slope, and "Tun" meaning a farm or settlement. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a valley or slope.
The name is first recorded in the 12th century in Lancashire, where it referred to a small village named Pemberton near Wigan. This place name is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1176 as "Penberton". Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Pemberton.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pemberton was Roger de Pemberton, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246. The name also appears in the Wigan Parish Records of 1592, indicating its long-standing presence in the region.
In the 16th century, records show a John Pemberton (1550-1628) who was a Quaker preacher and one of the earliest settlers in Pennsylvania, USA. He arrived in the colony in 1682 and established a settlement near present-day Philadelphia.
Another notable figure was Henry Pemberton (1694-1771), an English mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the study of optics and the motion of projectiles. He served as the Gresham Professor of Physic and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1720.
During the American Revolutionary War, John Pemberton (1757-1795) served as a lieutenant in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Brandywine in 1777.
In the 19th century, John Pemberton (1831-1888) was a pharmacist from Georgia who invented the famous Coca-Cola soft drink in 1886. His creation became a global phenomenon and one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
Another notable bearer of the name was Michael Pemberton (1885-1950), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire and England in the early 20th century. He was a skilled right-handed batsman and played in several Test matches against Australia and South Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pemberton
Among Census respondents with the surname Pemberton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pemberton 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 Pemberton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 8,188
- Black or African American14.5% · 1,574
- Two or more races4.0% · 440
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 429
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pemberton
Pemberton 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
#3,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,272
+430 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#3,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,866
-406 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.64
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,065 | 10,842 | 4.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,207 | 11,272 | 3.82 | +430 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #3,241 | 10,866 | 3.64 | -406 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 34 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 Pemberton 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 | #3,207 | #3,241 | -1.1% |
| Count | 11,272 | 10,866 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.82 | 3.64 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pemberton bearers went from 11,272 to 10,866 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,207 to #3,241.
FAQ
Pemberton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pemberton?
Name Census estimates that about 12,460 living Americans carry the surname Pemberton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,508 residents.
How common is Pemberton?
Pemberton ranks #3,241 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,866 people with the surname Pemberton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,460), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Pemberton.
Has Pemberton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pemberton went from 11,272 recorded bearers to 10,866. That is a decrease of 406 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,207 to #3,241.
What does the Census say about the background of Pemberton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pemberton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pemberton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (8,188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pemberton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pemberton (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 Pemberton mean?
From a place name meaning "Pēotbere's town," derived from the Old English personal name Pēotbere and tūn "enclosure, town." 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 Pemberton (3.64 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 Americans have the surname Pemberton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.