2000
#3,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,787
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.63
Uncommon Last name
Peyton
From an English place name meaning "Pæga's town," referring to a settlement associated with someone named Pæga.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,406 Americans carry the last name Peyton. That puts it at #3,498 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peyton 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 Peyton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,050
Census rank
#3,498
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,947 bearers of the surname Peyton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3498th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peyton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peyton
The surname Peyton has its origins in the Old French word "peiton", which means "a small piece of land". It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, during the Middle Ages.
The name was likely brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It was initially spelled in various ways, such as Peiton, Peytun, and Paytun, before the modern spelling of Peyton became more standardized.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Peiton" in the county of Somerset, England. This entry suggests that the name was already present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, the name was associated with landowners and noblemen in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Wiltshire. Notable historical figures with the surname Peyton include Sir John Peyton (c. 1543 - 1616), an English politician and military leader who served as Lieutenant of the Tower of London.
Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Peyton (1589 - 1677), an English politician and soldier who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance by King Charles I.
In the 15th century, the name was also found in records related to the town of Peyton, located in the county of Essex, England. This place name likely derived from the surname itself, suggesting that the Peyton family had established a significant presence in the area.
Moving forward in time, Sir Henry Peyton (1719 - 1789) was a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He achieved the rank of Admiral of the Blue and played a crucial role in several naval battles.
Another notable figure was Sir John Peyton (1809 - 1879), a British Member of Parliament and barrister who served as a Justice of the Queen's Bench. He was also the High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1849.
Throughout its history, the surname Peyton has maintained a strong association with landed gentry, military service, and political involvement in various parts of England, reflecting the influential status of many families bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peyton
Among Census respondents with the surname Peyton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Peyton 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 Peyton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 7,162
- Black or African American18.6% · 1,853
- Two or more races4.6% · 460
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 348
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peyton
Peyton 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
#3,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,276
+489 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.48
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#3,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,947
-329 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 3.33
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,344 | 9,787 | 3.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,477 | 10,276 | 3.48 | +489 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #3,498 | 9,947 | 3.33 | -329 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 21 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 Peyton 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 | #3,477 | #3,498 | -0.6% |
| Count | 10,276 | 9,947 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.48 | 3.33 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peyton bearers went from 10,276 to 9,947 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,477 to #3,498.
FAQ
Peyton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peyton?
Name Census estimates that about 11,406 living Americans carry the surname Peyton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,050 residents.
How common is Peyton?
Peyton ranks #3,498 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.33 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 9,947 people with the surname Peyton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,406), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.33 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 Peyton.
Has Peyton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peyton went from 10,276 recorded bearers to 9,947. That is a decrease of 329 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,477 to #3,498.
What does the Census say about the background of Peyton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peyton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Peyton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (7,162 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peyton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (18.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Peyton (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 Peyton mean?
From an English place name meaning "Pæga's town," referring to a settlement associated with someone named Pæga. 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 Peyton (3.33 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 are called Peyton?
See how many people are called Peyton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.