2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pemelton
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Pembleton.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Pemelton. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pemelton 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Pemelton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pemelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.3%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pemelton
The surname Pemelton has its origins in the northern counties of England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. Many experts believe it is derived from the Old English words 'pemel' meaning 'apple' and 'ton' meaning 'town', suggesting it may have originally referred to someone from an apple-growing settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297, where a Thomas de Pemelington is listed as a landowner. This spelling variation suggests the name may have evolved from a previously unrecorded place name, possibly 'Pemelington' or 'Pemelingtun'.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of northern England, appearing in tax records for Durham and Northumberland. In 1379, a John Pemelton is listed as a merchant in the town records of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The Pemeltons were an established gentry family in Yorkshire by the 16th century. Sir Richard Pemelton (1523-1597) was a prominent landowner and served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1572. His grandson, also named Richard (1565-1628), was knighted by King James I in 1604.
During the English Civil War, Colonel Henry Pemelton (1612-1678) was a Royalist officer who fought for King Charles I at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644. After the Restoration, he was granted lands in Lincolnshire in recognition of his service.
In the 18th century, Reverend William Pemelton (1701-1771) was a noted scholar and theologian who served as Archdeacon of Carlisle. His writings on religious philosophy were highly influential at the time.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Edith Pemelton (1863-1938) gained fame as a pioneering mountaineer, being one of the first women to climb several peaks in the Swiss Alps.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pemelton
Among Census respondents with the surname Pemelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.3%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pemelton 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 Pemelton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino16.3% · 17
- Black or African American3.8% · 4
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pemelton
Pemelton 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-10 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,218 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 7,385 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 21,218 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 7,385 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 Pemelton 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 | #160,975 | #153,590 | 4.6% |
| Count | 100 | 104 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pemelton bearers went from 100 to 104 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 7,385 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #153,590.
FAQ
Pemelton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pemelton?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Pemelton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Pemelton?
Pemelton ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Pemelton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pemelton.
Has Pemelton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pemelton went from 100 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Pemelton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pemelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.3%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Pemelton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pemelton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Hispanic (16.3%), Black (3.8%). 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 Pemelton (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 Pemelton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Pembleton. 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 Pemelton (0.03 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 share the surname Pemelton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.