Find out how popular the last name Peper is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Peper.

Peper, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Peper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peper in America

Peper is the 24718th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peper surname appeared 1,009 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Peper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Peper

The surname Peper originated in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "peper," meaning "pepper," and was likely an occupational name for someone involved in the pepper trade or a merchant dealing in spices. The earliest known bearer of the name was Hendrick Peper, who was born in Amsterdam in 1568.

In the Netherlands, the name Peper was concentrated in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland, particularly in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Leiden. The first recorded spelling of the name was "Peeper," which appeared in a 1598 document from the city of Haarlem.

One notable historical figure with the surname Peper was Pieter Peper, a Dutch painter born in Haarlem in 1625. He was known for his still-life paintings and genre scenes depicting everyday life in the Dutch Golden Age.

Another prominent individual with the Peper name was Jacobus Peper, a Dutch theologian born in Rotterdam in 1705. He served as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church and published several works on theology and religious philosophy.

In the 18th century, the Peper family gained prominence in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Jan Peper, born in Amsterdam in 1722, was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Moluccas Islands from 1765 to 1770.

The name Peper also appeared in historical records from other parts of Europe. In England, there was a record of a Thomas Peper living in the village of Weston, Somerset, in the 1379 Poll Tax returns.

Over time, the surname Peper has also been found with variations in spelling, such as Peeper, Pepper, and Peppere. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, phonetic translations, and variations in record-keeping practices.

While the surname Peper has Dutch origins, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through emigration and migration patterns. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references for the name can be traced back to the Netherlands and the surrounding regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peper

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Peper.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Peper was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Peper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Peper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Peper, please contact us.

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