2000
#3,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.19
Rare Last name
Peace
A surname derived from a nickname for a quiet or gentle person, or an ironic nickname for a quarrelsome person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,791 Americans carry the last name Peace. That puts it at #4,037 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,007 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peace 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 Peace with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 35,007
Census rank
#4,037
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,538 bearers of the surname Peace in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4037th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peace, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peace
The surname PEACE is an English toponymic name derived from the Old English "peas", meaning a hill or lake. It likely originated in areas of England where there were prominent hills or lakes, such as the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Norfolk. The earliest recorded spellings of the name date back to the 12th century, appearing in the Domesday Book as "Peas" and "Peise".
In the 13th century, a John de Pese was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230. The name was also found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1275, with a reference to a John Pece. These early records suggest the name was well-established in various parts of England by the medieval period.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was William Peace, a 14th-century English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. He was born around 1320 and served in Parliament from 1365 to 1372.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared with various spellings, including Pease, Peece, and Pees. John Pease, a successful merchant and alderman of Hull, was born in 1522 and made significant contributions to the city's trade and governance.
The 17th century saw the emergence of notable figures like Edward Peace (1618-1676), an English Puritan minister and author. He was a prominent preacher and published several religious works during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with the Peace family of Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, who were prominent landowners and patrons of the arts. The most famous member was Sir Walter Peace (1712-1792), a renowned art collector and connoisseur.
Moving into the 19th century, Edward Peace (1801-1869) was a successful industrialist and philanthropist from Darlington, England. He established the Darlington Railway Works and was instrumental in the development of the town's infrastructure.
Throughout its history, the surname PEACE has been found in various spellings, including Pease, Peice, and Pece, reflecting the evolution of English language and regional variations. Despite its widespread presence across England, the name retains its connection to the Old English word "peas" and its topographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peace
Among Census respondents with the surname Peace, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Peace 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 Peace surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.6% · 5,686
- Black or African American22.8% · 1,948
- Two or more races5.4% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 274
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peace
Peace 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
#4,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,841
+240 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Down 241 places
2020
#4,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,538
-303 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,781 | 8,601 | 3.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,022 | 8,841 | 3.00 | +240 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 241 places |
| 2020 | #4,037 | 8,538 | 2.86 | -303 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 15 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 Peace 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 | #4,022 | #4,037 | -0.4% |
| Count | 8,841 | 8,538 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.00 | 2.86 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peace bearers went from 8,841 to 8,538 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,022 to #4,037.
FAQ
Peace surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peace?
Name Census estimates that about 9,791 living Americans carry the surname Peace. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,007 residents.
How common is Peace?
Peace ranks #4,037 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 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 8,538 people with the surname Peace. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 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 Peace.
Has Peace become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peace went from 8,841 recorded bearers to 8,538. That is a decrease of 303 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,022 to #4,037.
What does the Census say about the background of Peace?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peace, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Peace in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.6% (5,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peace appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.6%), Black (22.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Peace (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 Peace mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a quiet or gentle person, or an ironic nickname for a quarrelsome person. 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 Peace (2.86 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 have the surname Peace?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.