2000
#27,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Very Rare Last name
Peppard
A locational surname derived from a place name associated with peppers or pepper crops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 980 Americans carry the last name Peppard. That puts it at #29,447 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 349,749 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peppard 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 Peppard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
980
1 in 349,749
Census rank
#29,447
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
855
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 855 bearers of the surname Peppard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29447th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peppard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peppard
The surname Peppard is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from an Old English place name, possibly referring to a farm or settlement located near a pepper plant or where pepper was cultivated.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a survey conducted in the late 13th century. The entry "Simon de Peppard" is listed as a resident of the village of Babraham in 1279.
In the Domesday Book, a record of landholdings compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with similar names, such as "Pipardesperie" (now Peppard in Oxfordshire) and "Pipringeworde" (now Pipworth in Sussex). These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname Peppard.
During the 14th century, variations of the name appeared in various records, including "Peppard," "Pepperde," and "Pepperde de Babraham." This suggests that the name was associated with the village of Babraham and may have originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near or worked with pepper plants.
Notable individuals with the surname Peppard throughout history include:
1. Sir William Peppard (c. 1330-1394), an English politician and member of Parliament for Hampshire during the reign of Richard II.
2. John Peppard (c. 1480-1542), an English landowner and involved in the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII.
3. Elizabeth Peppard (c. 1575-1640), an English woman accused of witchcraft and subsequently tried and hanged in Reading, Berkshire.
4. Thomas Peppard (1670-1737), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Foundling Hospital.
5. Charles Peppard (1845-1912), a British entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Peppard Wagon Company in Birmingham, a manufacturer of horse-drawn carriages and wagons.
The surname Peppard has maintained a presence in various parts of England throughout the centuries, particularly in the southern counties, and has also been carried to other parts of the world through emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peppard
Among Census respondents with the surname Peppard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Peppard 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 Peppard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 765
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 52
- Two or more races3.4% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 8
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peppard
Peppard 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
#29,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 817
-27 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 2,032 places
2020
#29,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 855
+38 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 406 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,009 | 844 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,041 | 817 | 0.28 | -27 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 2,032 places |
| 2020 | #29,447 | 855 | 0.29 | +38 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 406 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 Peppard 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 | #29,041 | #29,447 | -1.4% |
| Count | 817 | 855 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.29 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peppard bearers went from 817 to 855 (+4.7% change). The surname moved down 406 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,041 to #29,447.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Peppard
FAQ
Peppard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peppard?
Name Census estimates that about 980 living Americans carry the surname Peppard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 349,749 residents.
How common is Peppard?
Peppard ranks #29,447 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 855 people with the surname Peppard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Peppard.
Has Peppard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peppard went from 817 recorded bearers to 855. That is an increase of 38 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,041 to #29,447.
What does the Census say about the background of Peppard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peppard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Peppard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peppard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Peppard (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 Peppard mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name associated with peppers or pepper crops. 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 Peppard (0.29 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 share the surname Peppard?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.