Explore the Family Name Pelc

The meaning of Pelc

Polish, Czech, Slovenian, Croatian, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a furrier, from a Slavicized word of German origin (see Pelz ‘fur’). Compare Peltz. Some characteristic forenames: Polish Karol, Czeslawa, Jacek, Jozef, Ryszard, Stanislaw, Waclaw, Zofia.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Pelc in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Pelc has seen a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 21,565th and dropped to 24,822nd by 2010, which is a decline of approximately 15.1%. The frequency of this surname also declined during this period from 1,128 counts in 2000 to 1,003 in 2010, indicating an 11.08% drop. Additionally, the proportion of individuals with the Pelc surname per 100,000 people experienced a decrease of 19.05%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#21,565	#24,822	-15.1%
Count	1,128	1,003	-11.08%
Proportion per 100k	0.42	0.34	-19.05%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pelc

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Pelc, as indicated by the Decennial U.S. Census, predominantly aligns with those self-identifying as White. This group constituted 95.57% in 2000 and slightly decreased to 95.11% in 2010. The next highest categories were Hispanics, at 2.66% in 2000 increasing to 2.79% in 2010, and those identifying with two or more races, decreasing from 1.06% in 2000 to 0.80% in 2010. Notably, there was a 104.55% increase in individuals identifying as Black, from 0.44% in 2000 to 0.90% in 2010. No individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	95.57%	95.11%	-0.48%
Hispanic	2.66%	2.79%	4.89%
Black	0.44%	0.9%	104.55%
Two or More Races	1.06%	0.8%	-24.53%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%