2000
#88,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 196
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Pedler
A surname derived from the occupation of a door-to-door trader or peddler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 219 Americans carry the last name Pedler. That puts it at #100,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,565,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pedler 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 Pedler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
219
1 in 1,565,088
Census rank
#100,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
191
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 191 bearers of the surname Pedler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pedler
The surname Pedler originated in England in the 14th century. It derives from the Old English word 'pedder' or 'pedlere', meaning a traveling merchant or peddler who carried goods for sale. The name is an occupational surname given to those who were engaged in this trade.
In the medieval period, peddlers were an important part of the economy, traveling from town to town selling wares and goods. The Pedler surname would have been adopted by families whose ancestors were peddlers. It is likely that the name first arose in areas where this occupation was common, such as market towns or trading centers.
One of the earliest records of the Pedler surname can be found in the Essex Feet of Fines from 1384, which mentions a John Pedlere. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which lists a Robert Pedlere.
The Pedler surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, although the spelling varies slightly, appearing as 'Peddere' or 'Pedere'. This suggests that the name has its origins in the late 11th century or earlier.
Over time, the surname evolved to take on various spellings, including Pedlar, Peddler, and Pedler. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include John Pedler, who was born in Somerset in 1515, and William Pedler, born in Devon in 1585.
Notable individuals with the Pedler surname include Jessie Pedler (1865-1926), an English novelist and playwright, and Sir Arnold Pedler (1865-1948), a British businessman and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1928 to 1929.
Another prominent figure was Edward Pedler (1807-1886), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas. Additionally, there was Frederic Pedler (1853-1917), a British painter and etcher known for his landscapes and maritime scenes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pedler
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pedler 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 Pedler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 169
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 11
- Black or African American3.1% · 6
- Two or more races2.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pedler
Pedler 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
#92,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
+2 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,636 places
2020
#100,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
-7 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,083 | 196 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #92,719 | 198 | 0.07 | +2 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 4,636 places |
| 2020 | #100,867 | 191 | 0.06 | -7 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 8,148 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 Pedler 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 | #92,719 | #100,867 | -8.8% |
| Count | 198 | 191 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pedler bearers went from 198 to 191 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 8,148 positions in the national ranking, going from #92,719 to #100,867.
FAQ
Pedler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pedler?
Name Census estimates that about 219 living Americans carry the surname Pedler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,565,088 residents.
How common is Pedler?
Pedler ranks #100,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 191 people with the surname Pedler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Pedler.
Has Pedler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pedler went from 198 recorded bearers to 191. That is a decrease of 7 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #92,719 to #100,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Pedler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Pedler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pedler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (3.1%). 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 Pedler (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 Pedler mean?
A surname derived from the occupation of a door-to-door trader or peddler. 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 Pedler (0.06 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 Pedler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.