2000
#3,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Uncommon Last name
Peter
A surname derived from the Greek word "petros," meaning "stone" or "rock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,596 Americans carry the last name Peter. That puts it at #3,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Peter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,348
Census rank
#3,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,240 bearers of the surname Peter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peter, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.6%) and Black (10.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peter
The surname Peter has its origins in the medieval period, stemming from the personal name Peter, which was derived from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." This name was borne by the apostle Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, and has been a popular name throughout Christian history.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Peter can be traced back to the 11th century in England, where it was initially used as a patronymic surname, indicating a person's lineage as the son of Peter. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, several individuals with the surname Peter are mentioned, such as Petrus de Suttuna and Petrus de Minstreu.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the surname Peter became more widespread throughout England, particularly in regions like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. It was also adopted by families in other parts of Europe, including Germany, where variations like Peters and Petersen emerged.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Peter was John Peter (c. 1310-1384), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Hugh Peter (1598-1660), an English preacher and political activist who played a significant role in the English Civil War and the execution of King Charles I.
In the United States, the surname Peter can be traced back to the colonial era, with early immigrants from England, Germany, and other parts of Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Jonathan Peter (1664-1731), a colonial American merchant and entrepreneur who settled in New York and became one of the wealthiest individuals in the British colonies.
Other notable individuals with the surname Peter include Arno Allan Penzias (1933-), an American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, and Randolph Peter (1920-2010), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the multibillion-dollar real estate company Trammell Crow Company.
Throughout its history, the surname Peter has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Peterborough in England, which likely derived its name from the Old English words "peter" (a marsh or meadow) and "burgh" (a fortified town).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peter
Among Census respondents with the surname Peter, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.6%) and Black (10.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Peter 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 Peter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.7% · 5,697
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.6% · 1,625
- Black or African American10.6% · 983
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 347
- Two or more races3.3% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 287
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peter
Peter 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
#3,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,191
+529 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#3,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,240
+49 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 3.09
Rank movement Up 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,758 | 8,662 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,859 | 9,191 | 3.12 | +529 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #3,738 | 9,240 | 3.09 | +49 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 121 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 Peter 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 | #3,859 | #3,738 | 3.1% |
| Count | 9,191 | 9,240 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 3.09 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peter bearers went from 9,191 to 9,240 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,859 to #3,738.
FAQ
Peter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peter?
Name Census estimates that about 10,596 living Americans carry the surname Peter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,348 residents.
How common is Peter?
Peter ranks #3,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.09 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 9,240 people with the surname Peter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.09 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 Peter.
Has Peter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peter went from 9,191 recorded bearers to 9,240. That is an increase of 49 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,859 to #3,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Peter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peter, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.6%) and Black (10.6%). 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 Peter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (5,697 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.6%), Black (10.6%). 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 Peter (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 Peter mean?
A surname derived from the Greek word "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 Peter (3.09 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 Peter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.