Peck
A surname with more than one likely source: in many cases it is a nickname or locational name, though some early forms may overlap with related names like Peckham or Peche.
The #864 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,708 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Peck is not settled to one single origin. In some historical sources it is treated as a local name, especially from the Peak district in Derbyshire, with medieval forms meaning someone from or near the hill or upland called the Peak. Other writers note that some records may link Peck with the surname Peche through Latinized forms such as De Peccato, so in a few families the names may have been confused or merged. There was also an older personal-name explanation in circulation, but the evidence is not strong enough to make that the main derivation.
History
Medieval spellings recorded in England include forms such as del Peke and del Pecke, showing the name in use by the 14th century. Later dictionary writers disagreed over whether all Peck families shared one origin, or whether some lines were separate local surnames that happened to converge in spelling. The name is now fairly widespread in the English-speaking world, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname dictionary explicitly warned that Peck may need to be separated from related forms such as Peak and Peche, rather than treated as a single tidy family name.
From the historical record
“PECHEY = Peaohey, q.v. PECK I a var. of Peak, q.v. Hugh de Peck. — Chesh. Chmbrlns.' Accts., A.D. 1325-6. Ricardus del Pecke.-^ Yorks Poll-Tax, A.I). 1579. 2 conf. with Pake, Paok(e, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Peck
- Gregory Peck (1916–2003)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.