Pepe
A Spanish diminutive form of the name Joseph, meaning "he who adds".
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the first name Pepe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Pepe today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pepe births was 1962 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pepe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Pepe with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
139
~ 1 in 2,465,859 Americans
Peak year
1962
11 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2002 SSA rank
#12,005
Tracked since 1957
Census
Pepe in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,000 people with the first name Pepe, which placed it at #12,439 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,439
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,000 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
68.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pepe
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pepe is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.8%) and White (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Pepe 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Pepe at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.4% · 684
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.8% · 138
- White10.3% · 103
- Black or African American5.7% · 57
- Two or more races1.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Popularity
Pepe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pepe from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 63 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pepe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pepe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pepes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pepe
Pepe is a diminutive form of the Spanish name José, which is derived from the Hebrew name Joseph. The name Joseph ultimately comes from the Hebrew word yasaf, meaning "he will add." The name's origins can be traced back to the biblical figure Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel.
In the Hebrew Bible, Joseph is a prominent figure known for his ability to interpret dreams and his rise to power in ancient Egypt. He plays a crucial role in the story of the Israelites' descent into Egypt and their eventual exodus. The name Joseph gained widespread popularity among Christians and Jews alike.
The name Pepe emerged as a common Spanish diminutive form of José, with the addition of the affectionate suffix "-pe." This form was widely used in Spain and spread to Spanish-speaking regions through exploration and colonization.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pepe can be found in the 16th century Spanish novel "La vida del pícaro Guzmán de Alfarache" by Mateo Alemán, published in 1599. In the novel, a character named Pepe is mentioned.
Historically, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Pepe. One of the most famous was José Pepe Mujica, a former President of Uruguay born in 1935. Mujica, known for his humble lifestyle and progressive policies, served as President from 2010 to 2015.
Another prominent figure was José "Pepe" Calderón, a Mexican painter and muralist born in 1908. Calderón was known for his vibrant and politically charged murals depicting Mexican history and culture.
In the realm of sports, José "Pepe" Reina, a Spanish professional footballer born in 1982, has made a name for himself as a goalkeeper for various clubs and the Spanish national team.
José "Pepe" Hierro, a Spanish former professional footballer and coach, born in 1958, also had a successful career playing for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.
Lastly, José "Pepe" Moraleda, a Spanish actor and comedian born in 1951, has left a lasting mark in the entertainment industry with his comedic performances and impersonations.
People
Pepe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pepe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pepe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pepe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 139 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pepe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,465,859 US residents.
Is Pepe a common name?
We classify Pepe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 155 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pepe most popular?
The single biggest year for Pepe was 1962, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pepe is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pepe in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,000 people with the name Pepe, or 0.33 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,439 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Pepe in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Pepe?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Pepe leans strongly male. 887 people counted with this name were male (88.7%), compared with 113 female bearers (11.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Pepe?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pepe is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.8%) and White (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Pepe most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Pepe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (684 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Pepe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pepe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pepe in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Pepe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pepe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Pepe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Pepe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.