2000
#63
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 275,041
First available Census row
Per 100,000 101.96
Common Last name
Peterson
Derived from the given name Peter, meaning "rock" or "stone," combined with the patronymic suffix -son.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 304,054 Americans carry the last name Peterson. That puts it at #77 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 88.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,127 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peterson 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 Peterson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
304K
1 in 1,127
Census rank
#77
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
88.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
265K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 265,150 bearers of the surname Peterson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 88.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peterson
The surname Peterson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is a patronymic surname, meaning that it is derived from the given name of the father or an ancestor. In this case, Peterson is derived from the personal name Peter, which comes from the Greek word "petros," meaning "rock."
The earliest recorded instances of the Peterson surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of Scandinavia. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Petrus Petersson, a Swedish priest who lived in the late 13th century. Another early example is Jon Petersson, a Norwegian farmer mentioned in a land record from the year 1340.
As the surname spread across Scandinavia, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Pedersson, Pedersson, and Pederzen. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic variations within the region.
In the 16th century, the Peterson surname began to appear in records outside of Scandinavia, particularly in areas with strong trade links or settlements from Scandinavian countries. One notable example is Hans Peterson, a Danish explorer who accompanied the explorer John Davis on his voyage to the Arctic in 1585.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Peterson. Henrik Petersen (1568-1646) was a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Another notable figure was Anna Petterson (1623-1688), a Swedish woman who was accused of witchcraft during the infamous Torsåker witch trials.
In the 19th century, the Peterson surname gained prominence in the United States due to the influx of Scandinavian immigrants. One notable American bearer of the name was Peter Peterson (1825-1899), a Danish-American businessman and politician who served as the 12th Governor of Utah Territory.
Another significant figure was Frederik Petersen (1839-1912), a Danish-American artist known for his landscape paintings depicting the American West. His works are held in notable collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Lastly, Gustav Petersen (1865-1939) was a Norwegian-American engineer and inventor who is credited with developing the first commercially successful gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, the Petersen Hybrid, in the early 20th century.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse individuals who have borne the surname Peterson throughout the centuries, reflecting its Scandinavian origins and its global spread over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peterson
Among Census respondents with the surname Peterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Peterson 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 Peterson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 217,231
- Black or African American9.7% · 25,661
- Two or more races3.5% · 9,241
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 8,898
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2,243
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,876
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peterson
Peterson 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
#71
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278,297
+3,256 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 94.34
Rank movement Down 8 places
2020
#77
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265,150
-13,147 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 88.71
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #63 | 275,041 | 101.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #71 | 278,297 | 94.34 | +3,256 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 8 places |
| 2020 | #77 | 265,150 | 88.71 | -13,147 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 6 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 Peterson 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 | #71 | #77 | -8.5% |
| Count | 278,297 | 265,150 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 94.34 | 88.71 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peterson bearers went from 278,297 to 265,150 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #71 to #77.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Peterson
FAQ
Peterson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peterson?
Name Census estimates that about 304,054 living Americans carry the surname Peterson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,127 residents.
How common is Peterson?
Peterson ranks #77 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 88.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 89 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 265,150 people with the surname Peterson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (304,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 88.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 88.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 89 of them to have the surname Peterson.
Has Peterson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peterson went from 278,297 recorded bearers to 265,150. That is a decrease of 13,147 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #71 to #77.
What does the Census say about the background of Peterson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Peterson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (217,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peterson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Peterson (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 Peterson mean?
Derived from the given name Peter, meaning "rock" or "stone," combined with the patronymic suffix -son. 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 Peterson (88.71 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 Peterson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.