2000
#11,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,544
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Pendergraft
A surname derived from the Welsh words "pen" meaning "head" and "derw" meaning "oak tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,831 Americans carry the last name Pendergraft. That puts it at #12,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pendergraft 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
2.8K
1 in 121,072
Census rank
#12,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,469 bearers of the surname Pendergraft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pendergraft
The surname Pendergraft has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English term, "Pender," which referred to an occupation or role as a keeper or tender of animals. The suffix "graft" suggests a connection to a specific place or location, potentially a farm or estate where such a role was performed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Somerset County records from 1327, where a certain William Pendergraft is mentioned as a resident of the village of Cheddar. This suggests that the name may have initially taken root in the southwestern region of England before spreading to other parts of the country.
During the 16th century, the Pendergraft name appeared in various municipal records and parish registers across Somerset and neighboring counties, indicating the gradual dispersal of families bearing this surname. Notable individuals from this era include John Pendergraft (1531-1597), a landowner from Taunton, and Elizabeth Pendergraft (1562-1632), who played a role in the establishment of a local charity in Yeovil.
As the centuries progressed, the Pendergraft name found its way into various historical documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a Thomas Pendergraft in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1624, which documented taxpayers in the county of Wiltshire. This suggests that the surname had spread to other regions of England by the 17th century.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals bearing the Pendergraft name. Among them was Robert Pendergraft (1702-1781), a successful merchant and landowner from Bristol, and Mary Pendergraft (1727-1798), a renowned educator who established one of the earliest schools for girls in the city of Exeter.
As the British Empire expanded its reach across the globe, the Pendergraft name also found its way to various colonies and territories. One notable figure was James Pendergraft (1781-1856), a British military officer who served in the East India Company and later settled in Calcutta, where he became a respected member of the local community.
Overall, the surname Pendergraft has a rich history deeply rooted in the English countryside, with its origins dating back to medieval times. While the name may have evolved in spelling and geographical distribution over the centuries, it remains a testament to the enduring legacy of those who bore this surname throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pendergraft
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pendergraft 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 Pendergraft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 2,109
- Two or more races5.5% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 70
- Black or African American2.0% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pendergraft
Pendergraft 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
#11,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,664
+120 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#12,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,469
-195 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,371 | 2,544 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,759 | 2,664 | 0.90 | +120 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #12,062 | 2,469 | 0.83 | -195 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 303 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 Pendergraft 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 | #11,759 | #12,062 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,664 | 2,469 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.83 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pendergraft bearers went from 2,664 to 2,469 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 303 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,759 to #12,062.
FAQ
Pendergraft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pendergraft?
Name Census estimates that about 2,831 living Americans carry the surname Pendergraft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,072 residents.
How common is Pendergraft?
Pendergraft ranks #12,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,469 people with the surname Pendergraft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,831), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Pendergraft.
Has Pendergraft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pendergraft went from 2,664 recorded bearers to 2,469. That is a decrease of 195 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,759 to #12,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Pendergraft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Pendergraft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (2,109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pendergraft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Pendergraft (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 Pendergraft mean?
A surname derived from the Welsh words "pen" meaning "head" and "derw" meaning "oak tree." 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 Pendergraft (0.83 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 Pendergraft?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.