2000
#9,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,249
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Pendergast
From an English place name meaning "head of the oak tree," likely referring to a prominent or boundary oak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,545 Americans carry the last name Pendergast. That puts it at #9,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,687 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pendergast 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 Pendergast with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,687
Census rank
#9,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,091 bearers of the surname Pendergast in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergast, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pendergast
The surname Pendergast is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name "Pendered" and the suffix "gast" meaning "guest" or "stranger". The name was first recorded in the late 11th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pendergast". This suggests that the name was already established in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the Middle Ages, the Pendergasts were prominent landowners and nobles in the West Country of England. The name is associated with several place names in the region, such as Pendergast Manor in Cornwall and Pendergast Farm in Devon.
One notable figure with the surname Pendergast was Sir John Pendergast (c. 1370-1440), a Cornish knight who served as a Member of Parliament for Cornwall in 1404 and 1419. He was known for his military service during the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another prominent individual was Richard Pendergast (1562-1623), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral from 1617 until his death.
In the 17th century, several members of the Pendergast family emigrated to the British colonies in North America, including Thomas Pendergast (1613-1678), who settled in Virginia in 1635.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname was Thomas Joseph Pendergast (1872-1945), a political boss who controlled Kansas City, Missouri, and the surrounding counties from the early 1920s to the late 1930s. He was known for his corruption and influence in local and national politics.
Another notable figure was Sir Richard Pendergast (1911-1996), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of Norfolk Island from 1965 to 1970.
Throughout its history, the surname Pendergast has been spelled in various ways, including Pendergast, Pendergast, Pendergress, and Pendergress, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling in different parts of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pendergast
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergast, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pendergast 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 Pendergast surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,862
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 80
- Black or African American1.9% · 60
- Two or more races1.8% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pendergast
Pendergast 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
#9,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,302
+53 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 571 places
2020
#9,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,091
-211 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 160 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,232 | 3,249 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,803 | 3,302 | 1.12 | +53 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 571 places |
| 2020 | #9,963 | 3,091 | 1.03 | -211 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 160 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 Pendergast 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 | #9,803 | #9,963 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,302 | 3,091 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.03 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pendergast bearers went from 3,302 to 3,091 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 160 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,803 to #9,963.
FAQ
Pendergast surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pendergast?
Name Census estimates that about 3,545 living Americans carry the surname Pendergast. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,687 residents.
How common is Pendergast?
Pendergast ranks #9,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,091 people with the surname Pendergast. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Pendergast.
Has Pendergast become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pendergast went from 3,302 recorded bearers to 3,091. That is a decrease of 211 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,803 to #9,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Pendergast?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergast, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Pendergast in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,862 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pendergast appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (1.9%). 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 Pendergast (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 Pendergast mean?
From an English place name meaning "head of the oak tree," likely referring to a prominent or boundary oak. 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 Pendergast (1.03 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 are called Pendergast?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Pendergast at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.