2000
#4,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,904
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.93
Rare Last name
Pendergrass
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pasture of a man called Pender" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,923 Americans carry the last name Pendergrass. That puts it at #4,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pendergrass 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
8.9K
1 in 38,412
Census rank
#4,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,781 bearers of the surname Pendergrass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergrass, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pendergrass
The surname Pendergrass has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from an Old English locational name, referring to someone who lived near a steep valley or a grassy slope. The name is composed of the elements "pendre," meaning steep or precipitous, and "græs," meaning grass.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Pendergrass can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a place called "Pendergrasse" in Gloucestershire. This suggests that the surname may have originated from a place name in this region.
In the 13th century, records show the name appearing as "Pendregras" and "Pendergrasse" in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. These early spellings highlight the evolution of the name over time.
Notably, the Pendergrass family is associated with the village of Penderyn in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. The name "Penderyn" is believed to share a similar etymology, meaning "a steep hill" or "a grassy slope."
Among the notable individuals bearing the Pendergrass surname throughout history are:
1. Thomas Pendergrass (1622-1692), an English Baptist minister and writer who was a prominent figure during the Puritan era.
2. John Pendergrass (1756-1823), an American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Theodric Romeyn Pendergrass (1823-1899), an American politician and lawyer who served as a judge in New York.
4. Emerson Pendergrass (1896-1976), an American businessman and philanthropist, known for his contributions to education and the arts.
5. Theodore Pendergrass (1950-2010), an American singer and songwriter who was a leading figure in the Philadelphia soul music scene.
While the Pendergrass surname may have originated from a specific geographical location, it has since spread across various regions and countries, carried by individuals and families throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pendergrass
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergrass, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pendergrass 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 Pendergrass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 5,617
- Black or African American19.3% · 1,498
- Two or more races4.5% · 349
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 216
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pendergrass
Pendergrass 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
#4,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,123
+219 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#4,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,781
-342 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,148 | 7,904 | 2.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,378 | 8,123 | 2.75 | +219 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #4,422 | 7,781 | 2.60 | -342 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 44 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 Pendergrass 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 | #4,378 | #4,422 | -1.0% |
| Count | 8,123 | 7,781 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.75 | 2.60 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pendergrass bearers went from 8,123 to 7,781 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,378 to #4,422.
FAQ
Pendergrass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pendergrass?
Name Census estimates that about 8,923 living Americans carry the surname Pendergrass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,412 residents.
How common is Pendergrass?
Pendergrass ranks #4,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,781 people with the surname Pendergrass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,923), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pendergrass.
Has Pendergrass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pendergrass went from 8,123 recorded bearers to 7,781. That is a decrease of 342 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,378 to #4,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Pendergrass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendergrass, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Pendergrass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (5,617 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pendergrass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.2%), Black (19.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Pendergrass (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 Pendergrass mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pasture of a man called Pender" in Old English. 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 Pendergrass (2.60 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 have the surname Pendergrass?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.