2000
#54,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 352
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Pherson
Scottish surname denoting "son of a person" or possibly meaning "son of the parson."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 411 Americans carry the last name Pherson. That puts it at #60,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 833,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pherson 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.
Bearers in the US
411
1 in 833,952
Census rank
#60,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
358
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 358 bearers of the surname Pherson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pherson
The surname PHERSON is of Scottish origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Gaelic personal name "Pearson," which means "son of Piers" or "son of Peter." This name was commonly found in the northern regions of Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and the Hebrides islands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 14th century, where a "Willelmus Piarson" is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests that the name evolved over time, with various iterations such as Pearson, Peirson, and eventually PHERSON.
The PHERSON surname gained prominence in the 16th century, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was John Pherson (c. 1520-1580), a Scottish clergyman and scholar who served as the Principal of the University of Aberdeen from 1569 until his death.
Another significant bearer of the PHERSON name was Robert Pherson (1580-1652), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer. He was well-known for his work on celestial navigation and was appointed as the first Professor of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh in 1619.
In the 17th century, the PHERSON surname was associated with several landed families in the Scottish Highlands. One notable example is the Phersons of Ardersier, a prominent clan that traced their lineage back to the 15th century and held lands near Inverness.
During the 18th century, the PHERSON surname spread beyond Scotland as members of the clan migrated to other parts of the British Isles and North America. One noteworthy individual from this period was Thomas Pherson (1735-1805), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a respected maritime author.
Another prominent figure with the PHERSON surname was James Pherson (1788-1856), a Scottish chemist and industrialist. He is credited with pioneering the use of coal tar as a source of dyes and chemicals, laying the foundation for the modern chemical industry.
Throughout history, the PHERSON surname has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Pherson's Loch in Ayrshire and Pherson's Hill in Aberdeenshire. These place names further reinforce the Scottish origins and historical presence of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pherson
Among Census respondents with the surname Pherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pherson 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 Pherson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 337
- Black or African American2.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 5
- Two or more races1.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pherson
Pherson 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
#56,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 360
+8 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,944 places
2020
#60,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 358
-2 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 4,007 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,766 | 352 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56,710 | 360 | 0.12 | +8 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 1,944 places |
| 2020 | #60,717 | 358 | 0.12 | -2 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 4,007 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 Pherson 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 | #56,710 | #60,717 | -7.1% |
| Count | 360 | 358 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pherson bearers went from 360 to 358 (-0.6% change). The surname moved down 4,007 positions in the national ranking, going from #56,710 to #60,717.
FAQ
Pherson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pherson?
Name Census estimates that about 411 living Americans carry the surname Pherson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 833,952 residents.
How common is Pherson?
Pherson ranks #60,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 358 people with the surname Pherson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (411), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Pherson.
Has Pherson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pherson went from 360 recorded bearers to 358. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #56,710 to #60,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Pherson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Pherson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (337 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pherson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Black (2.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Pherson (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 Pherson mean?
Scottish surname denoting "son of a person" or possibly meaning "son of the parson." 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 Pherson (0.12 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 common is the surname Pherson?
Want to know how common the surname Pherson is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.