2000
#6,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Rare Last name
Peppers
An English occupational surname referring to a seller or grower of peppers, or a nickname for a hot-tempered person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,588 Americans carry the last name Peppers. That puts it at #6,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,338 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peppers 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
5.6K
1 in 61,338
Census rank
#6,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,873 bearers of the surname Peppers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peppers, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peppers
The surname "PEPPERS" is of English origin and is believed to have emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is thought to be an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "pipor," meaning pepper, which itself originated from the Latin "piper." The surname likely referred to someone who grew, traded, or sold peppers and other spices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "PEPPERS" can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, England, where a John Peppers was mentioned in 1612. Another early reference is from the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1665, which listed a Thomas Peppers in the village of Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
The surname "PEPPERS" has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Pepper Hill in Hertfordshire and Pepper Street in Staffordshire. These place names may have influenced the surname's spelling and spread across different regions.
Notable individuals with the surname "PEPPERS" include Sir William Peppers (1595-1670), a prominent merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1658. Another figure of historical significance is John Peppers (1633-1703), a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In the realm of literature, the surname "PEPPERS" is associated with the 19th-century English writer and social reformer, Mary Peppers (1815-1892). Her works shed light on the plight of the working class and advocated for improved living conditions for the poor.
Moving into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the accomplishments of Sir Robert Peppers (1901-1985), a distinguished British diplomat who played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the establishment of the United Nations in 1945.
While the surname "PEPPERS" may not be as widespread as some other English surnames, its rich history and connections to various aspects of society, from trade and politics to science and literature, make it a fascinating subject of study.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peppers
Among Census respondents with the surname Peppers, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Peppers 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 Peppers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.6% · 3,146
- Black or African American25.7% · 1,250
- Two or more races5.8% · 282
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 137
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peppers
Peppers 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
#6,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,171
+340 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#6,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,873
-298 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,486 | 4,831 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,551 | 5,171 | 1.75 | +340 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #6,659 | 4,873 | 1.63 | -298 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 108 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 Peppers 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 | #6,551 | #6,659 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,171 | 4,873 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.63 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peppers bearers went from 5,171 to 4,873 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,551 to #6,659.
FAQ
Peppers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peppers?
Name Census estimates that about 5,588 living Americans carry the surname Peppers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,338 residents.
How common is Peppers?
Peppers ranks #6,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,873 people with the surname Peppers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,588), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Peppers.
Has Peppers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peppers went from 5,171 recorded bearers to 4,873. That is a decrease of 298 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,551 to #6,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Peppers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peppers, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Peppers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (3,146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peppers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.6%), Black (25.7%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Peppers (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 Peppers mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a seller or grower of peppers, or a nickname for a hot-tempered person. 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 Peppers (1.63 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 Peppers?
Want to know how many people have the last name Peppers? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.