2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pesson
A Norman French locational surname meaning "of Pesson", referring to someone from Pesson, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Pesson. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pesson 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Pesson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pesson
The surname Pesson originated in France, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "pesson," which means a small brook or stream. It is believed that the name was initially a descriptive one, given to families living near a small body of water.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Cartulary of the Abbey of Savigny, a medieval manuscript from the late 12th century. The document mentions a certain "Robertus de Pesson," suggesting that the name was already in use at that time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pesson was predominantly found in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Normandy and Picardy. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name include Guillaume Pesson, a landowner in Normandy mentioned in a charter from 1254, and Jehan Pesson, a merchant from Picardy who is referenced in a tax record from 1312.
As the centuries passed, the name Pesson spread to other parts of France and even beyond its borders. In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Jean Pesson, a French theologian and philosopher who was born in 1544 and died in 1612. He was known for his writings on metaphysics and his defense of the Catholic faith during the religious conflicts of his time.
Another significant bearer of the Pesson name was Antoine Pesson, a French playwright and poet who lived from 1678 to 1743. He was a member of the Académie Française and is remembered for his satirical plays and comedies, which often criticized the social and political issues of his era.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Pesson surname was Auguste Pesson, a French politician and journalist born in 1833. He served as a deputy in the National Assembly and was known for his advocacy of workers' rights and social reforms.
While the name Pesson has its roots in France, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For example, in the early 20th century, there was a notable Canadian artist named Henri Pesson, who was born in 1888 and died in 1970. He was known for his landscape paintings and his contributions to the development of Canadian art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pesson
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pesson 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 Pesson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 9
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pesson
Pesson 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-9 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 13,653 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-30 bearers (-22.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 13,653 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-22.1%) | Down 26,321 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 Pesson 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 | #126,018 | #152,339 | -20.9% |
| Count | 136 | 106 | -22.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pesson bearers went from 136 to 106 (-22.1% change). The surname moved down 26,321 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #152,339.
FAQ
Pesson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pesson?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Pesson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Pesson?
Pesson ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Pesson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pesson.
Has Pesson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pesson went from 136 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 30 (-22.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Pesson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (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 Pesson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pesson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (8.5%), Two or More Races (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 Pesson (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 Pesson mean?
A Norman French locational surname meaning "of Pesson", referring to someone from Pesson, France. 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 Pesson (0.04 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 Pesson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.