Explore the Family Name Peck
The meaning of Peck
1. English: variant of Speake, with loss of initial S- (or perhaps vice versa). 2. English: variant of Peak. 3. English: perhaps occasionally a variant of Petch, itself a variant of Peach. 4. Irish: variant of Peak 6. 5. South German: variant of Beck. It is also found in Poland (compare Pek 2). 6. North German and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for someone who prepared or sold pitch, from Middle Low German pek, Middle Dutch pec, pic. 7. Americanized or Germanized form of Hungarian Pék, Croatian and Slovenian Pek 1 ‘baker’. 8. Americanized form of Czech or Polish Pek 2.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Peck in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Peck" has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. With its rank falling from 796 to 864, this equates to a decrease of about 8.54%. However, the actual count of individuals with the surname increased in this time frame, moving from 39,432 to 40,055, which is an increase of 1.58%. This indicates that while the surname has become slightly less common relative to other surnames, the number of people with this surname has actually grown. The proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 7.11%, going from 14.62 to 13.58.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #796 | #864 | -8.54% |
| Count | 39,432 | 40,055 | 1.58% |
| Proportion per 100k | 14.62 | 13.58 | -7.11% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Peck
The ethnic identity associated with the Peck surname underwent some changes from 2000 to 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census. Despite the majority of Pecks identifying as White (90.68% in 2010, down from 92.39%), there was significant growth in other ethnic groups. The Hispanic group saw the largest increase at 61.96%, rising from 1.63% to 2.64%. There was also a notable increase in the Asian/Pacific Islander category (from 0.66% to 0.90%) and those identifying with two or more races (rising from 1.38% to 1.68%). The Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native categories experienced modest increases, with the former increasing by 4.35% and the latter by 4.17%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.39% | 90.68% | -1.85% |
| Black | 3.45% | 3.6% | 4.35% |
| Hispanic | 1.63% | 2.64% | 61.96% |
| Two or More Races | 1.38% | 1.68% | 21.74% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.66% | 0.9% | 36.36% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.48% | 0.5% | 4.17% |
Peck ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Peck is British & Irish, which comprises 47.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.1%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (5.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 47.6% |
| French & German | 26.1% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 5.3% |
| Other | 21.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Peck
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Peck have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 83.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 83.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.10% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 83.00% |
What Peck haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Peck is I-A196, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-A196 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-Z16294 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smith, Schmidt, Meyer, Hoffman, Miller, White, Lang, Fischer, Green, Schneider.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Peck surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Peck have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Peck" Surname 42.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Peck" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Peck" Surname 18.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Peck" Surname 18.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Peck?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Peck are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition