The Pelton surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,753 people carried this name — #5,980 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 51,300 people counted. That is up 11% from 5,177 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Pelton surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Pelton» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Pelton’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 594 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

43 Pelton families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 244 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 22
Massachusetts 8
New York 7
Vermont 3
New Hampshire 2
Maine 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 256 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Pelton in American newspapers,
1879–1900.

Newspaper page from The Columbus Journal carrying the name Pelton
The Columbus Journal 1879-03-19
Newspaper page from El Paso Daily Herald carrying the name Pelton
El Paso Daily Herald 1900-08-22
Newspaper page from The Evening Light carrying the name Pelton
The Evening Light 1883-01-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 52,303 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Pelton in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

1,946 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pelton. The most, 432, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 5.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 1,230
New South Wales 303
Victoria 245
Queensland 72
Tasmania 47
Western Australia 41
ACT (Canberra) 4
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pelton.

Who carried it

People named Pelton,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Guy R. Pelton
    Guy R. Pelton 1824–1890 · lawyer
  • Lester Allan Pelton
    Lester Allan Pelton 1829–1908 · carpenter
  • Agnes Lawrence Pelton
    Agnes Lawrence Pelton 1881–1961 · artist
  • Agnes Lawrence Pelton
    Agnes Lawrence Pelton 1881–1961 · artist
  • Oliver Pelton 1798–1882 · artist
  • Mary B. Tilden Pelton 1809–1887

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Pelton,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States560 records

560 records of the Pelton name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 204
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 127
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 90
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 84
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 41
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 11
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Glen E. Pelton

    Born 1920 in South Dakota. Enlisted 1941 at Madison, Minnesota; mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William H. Pelton

    Born 1931; from Garfield County, Oklahoma. U.S. Army, cook; killed in action 1951 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Agnes Pelton

    Arrived at New York in 1882 aboard the Edam from Amsterdam; farmer. From Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 560 records for Pelton in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada204 records

204 records of the Pelton name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 186
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 8
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alice Pelton

    Buried in 1973 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 84.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sarah Ann Pelton

    Died 1866 in Woodville, Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Alfred Digby Pelton

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 204 records for Pelton in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia40 records

40 records of the Pelton name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 31
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 7
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Isaac B. Pelton

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the White Star, aged 28; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Geoffrey Boyce Pelton

    Valuer of Hawthorn, Victoria; died 1973.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Royden Francis Pelton

    Accountant of Hawthorn, Victoria; died 1962.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 40 records for Pelton in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France7 records

7 records of the Pelton name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Pierre Abel Lucien Pelton

    Born 1895 in Vouharte; died 1983 in Angoulême (Charente).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Alice Marie Pelton

    Born 1914 in Valignat; died 1992 in Bellerive-sur-Allier (Allier).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Etienne Jean Pelton

    Born 1921 in Moulins (Allier); died 1986 in Lyon (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Pelton in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Pelton name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Pieternella Pelton

    In a population register; born 1832 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Pelton.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Pelton is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Pelton volume
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