2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Peykar
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of incense.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Peykar. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peykar 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Peykar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peykar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peykar
The surname PEYKAR is of Persian origin and is believed to have originated in Iran during the medieval period. It is derived from the Persian word "peykar," which means "soldier" or "warrior." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who served in the military or was known for their bravery and fighting skills.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PEYKAR surname can be found in the historical records of the Seljuk Empire, which ruled over parts of modern-day Iran, Turkey, and Central Asia between the 11th and 12th centuries. During this time, the name was often associated with members of the Seljuk military and nobility.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Peykar al-Din Mahmud Khwarizmi, a Persian mathematician and astronomer, gained recognition for his contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy. He is credited with writing several treatises on these subjects and is considered one of the most influential scholars of the Islamic Golden Age.
Another notable individual with the PEYKAR surname was Mirza Mohammad Peykar, a 19th-century Persian diplomat and statesman who served as the Ambassador of Iran to the United Kingdom during the Qajar dynasty. He played a significant role in negotiating treaties and establishing diplomatic relations between Iran and other nations.
During the 20th century, the PEYKAR name gained recognition in the literary world with the emergence of the Iranian poet and writer, Sadegh Peykar. Born in 1919, he was known for his unique style of poetry and his contributions to the modernist movement in Persian literature.
In the realm of sports, the name PEYKAR is associated with Amir Peykar, an Iranian footballer who played as a defender for various clubs in Iran and represented the Iranian national team in the 1970s and 1980s.
While the PEYKAR surname has its roots in Iran and is primarily associated with Persian culture, it has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the rich heritage of Iran and the Persian language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peykar
Among Census respondents with the surname Peykar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Peykar 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 Peykar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 97
- Two or more races12.3% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peykar
Peykar appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,338 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 Peykar 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 | #140,157 | #146,495 | -4.5% |
| Count | 119 | 114 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peykar bearers went from 119 to 114 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #146,495.
FAQ
Peykar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peykar?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Peykar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Peykar?
Peykar ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Peykar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Peykar.
Has Peykar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peykar went from 119 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Peykar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peykar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Peykar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peykar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Two or More Races (12.3%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Peykar (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 Peykar mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of incense. 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 Peykar (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 Americans have the surname Peykar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.