Explore the Family Name Pelo

The meaning of Pelo

1. Italian: nickname from pelo ‘hair’, possibly for a man with long or unkempt hair and beard. 2. Americanized form of French Pilon. 3. English: probably a variant of Pellow. History: Some of the American bearers of the surname Pelo are descendants of Antoine Pilon from France (see Pilon).

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Pelo increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Pelo was ranked as the 67,522nd most popular surname, but by 2010 it had moved up to the 64,388th spot, showing a growth of 4.64 percent. The count of individuals with the Pelo surname also saw an increase from 273 in 2000 to 309 in 2010, representing a significant 13.19 percent change. However, the proportion per 100,000 people remained steady at 0.1.

20002010Change
Rank#67,522#64,3884.64%
Count27330913.19%
Proportion per 100k0.10.10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pelo

The Decennial U.S. Census data also gives us insights into the ethnic identity associated with the Pelo surname. There was a small emergence of Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Black identities related to the name between 2000 and 2010. Specifically, 2.27 percent of Pelos identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.59 percent as Hispanic, and 1.94 percent as Black in 2010. Those identifying with two or more races under this surname grew by 61.82 percent. Meanwhile, there was a decrease in the percentage of individuals with the Pelo surname identifying as White, dropping from 95.24 percent in 2000 down to 89.64 percent in 2010. The percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained the same over the decade.

20002010Change
White95.24%89.64%-5.88%
Two or More Races2.2%3.56%61.82%
Hispanic0%2.59%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%2.27%0%
Black0%1.94%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%