Peace
Usually a surname from the given name or personification “Peace,” rather than a place-name or occupation.
The #4,022 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,922 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname was probably formed from the word or name Peace, used as a Christian or devotional personal name in medieval England. Older writers also connect it with Latin pax, meaning “peace,” and note that surnames like Faith, Charity, and Honour arose in the same way. In some cases it may also be a variant of Pace, so not every family called Peace necessarily shares the same origin.
History
Lower explicitly treats Peace as likely coming from a Christian name or the personification of Peace in medieval drama, and notes medieval forms with Pax. Later surname dictionaries often place it near Pace and related forms, which suggests some lineages were influenced by spelling variation. The name is relatively uncommon in the United States but is established in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers grouped Peace with a whole family of virtue-based surnames such as Faith, Charity, Honour, and Good.
From the historical record
“individual. PEACE, a va'r. of Pace, q.v. PEACH \ (A.-Fr.) i Bel. to Pech (France) ; PEACHE J or Dweller at a Hill, Peak [a palatal form of pecg (Le Pecq, Seine-et- Oise) : cp. Norm. Dial, pec, a hob ; and L.Ger. peek = Dut. piek, a pike = O.E.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)