2000
#7,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,312
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Pete
A shortened form of the Greek name Petros, meaning "stone" or "rock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,954 Americans carry the last name Pete. That puts it at #7,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pete 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
5.0K
1 in 69,187
Census rank
#7,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,320 bearers of the surname Pete in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pete, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (19.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pete
The surname Pete is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a shortened form of the name Peter, which is derived from the Greek word "petros" meaning "rock" or "stone." The earliest known record of the name Pete is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pede."
In the 13th century, the name Pete was also used as a nickname for those with the surname Pether or Pether. This surname is derived from the Old English word "paedre," meaning "path" or "track." It is possible that some families with the surname Pete may have originally been from places named after paths or tracks.
One notable individual with the surname Pete was Sir John Pete, who lived in the 14th century and served as a member of the English Parliament. He was born in the village of Peteworth, which may have been named after an early bearer of the Pete surname.
In the 16th century, the name Pete appeared in various spellings, such as Peet, Peete, and Peit. During this time, the surname was also associated with the place name Peterborough, which was sometimes spelled as "Peteburgh" or "Petebrugh."
Another individual of note was William Pete, born in 1589, who was a renowned scholar and author of several works on philosophy and theology. He was a member of the University of Cambridge and is believed to have hailed from the county of Lincolnshire.
In the 17th century, the surname Pete was found in various parts of England, including the counties of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire. One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Pete, born in 1623, who was a prominent merchant in the city of London.
Edward Pete, born in 1701, was a renowned architect and was responsible for the design of several churches and public buildings in the city of Bath. He is considered one of the most important figures in the Georgian architectural movement.
John Pete, born in 1789, was a renowned explorer and naturalist. He is known for his expeditions to the Arctic regions and his contributions to the study of flora and fauna in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pete
Among Census respondents with the surname Pete, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (19.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pete 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 Pete surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American44.6% · 1,926
- White26.6% · 1,147
- American Indian and Alaska Native19.9% · 859
- Two or more races4.3% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pete
Pete 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
#7,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,619
+307 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 81 places
2020
#7,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,320
-299 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,147 | 4,312 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,228 | 4,619 | 1.57 | +307 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 81 places |
| 2020 | #7,440 | 4,320 | 1.45 | -299 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 212 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 Pete 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 | #7,228 | #7,440 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,619 | 4,320 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.45 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pete bearers went from 4,619 to 4,320 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 212 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,228 to #7,440.
FAQ
Pete surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pete?
Name Census estimates that about 4,954 living Americans carry the surname Pete. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,187 residents.
How common is Pete?
Pete ranks #7,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,320 people with the surname Pete. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,954), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Pete.
Has Pete become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pete went from 4,619 recorded bearers to 4,320. That is a decrease of 299 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,228 to #7,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Pete?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pete, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (19.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pete in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (1,926 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pete appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (44.6%), White (26.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (19.9%). 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 Pete (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 Pete mean?
A shortened form of the Greek name Petros, meaning "stone" or "rock." 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 Pete (1.45 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 Americans have the surname Pete?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.