Pendleton

UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

From Old English tūn; literal meaning unconfirmed

Pendleton has been given to 62 babies in the U.S. since 1915. It was used fewer than 5 times in 2025, so it doesn't appear in the latest year's list — today it's a genuinely uncommon pick. Its peak year was 1924, with 8 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 79% boys, 21% girls all-time.

Babies named Pendleton, 2020

1 in 668,000

Pendleton over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Pendleton over time

In 2021, Pendleton went to 100% girls and 0% boys.

19152021

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Pendleton: meaning, origin, and history

From Old English tūn; literal meaning unconfirmed

surname transfer

What Pendleton means

Pendleton is a given name.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

'The settlement beside Pendle', from Pendle + Old English tūn (“settlement”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Pendleton (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Pendleton is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Pendleton comes through Old English tūn.

Pendleton is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 49 boys were recorded with the name Pendleton between 1915 and 2020. Its highest annual count was 8 in 1924; its best national rank was #3,433 in 1924.

In the United States, 13 girls were recorded with the name Pendleton between 2015 and 2021. Its highest annual count was 7 in 2015; its best national rank was #14,149 in 2015.

How common is Pendleton?

Pendleton had fewer than 5 recorded uses in 2025, so these figures use 2020, the last year it was published.

Among all babies, 2020: 1 in 668,000; 5 of 3,342,313 births
Among boys only: 1 in 345,000; <0.01% of boys
Rank, 2020: Unranked; Fewer than 5 uses
Coin-flip room size: 463,344 kids; Even odds of a second one

Where Pendleton sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2020 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%

Class of 30Under 1%

Grade of 100Under 1%

School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 463,344 children born in 2020 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Pendleton. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Pendletons were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Pendleton was born before 2014 — so the typical Pendleton is around 11 today.

Median birth year: 2014; About 11 years old
Biggest decade: 2010s; 53.1% of all use
Born in the last 25 years: 63.3%; A modern name
Recorded since 1950: 31; People you could plausibly meet

Choose a decade

2010s — 53.1% of all recorded uses (26).

Is Pendleton rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago: —; Not ranked then
Rank vs 5 years ago: New entry; Not ranked then
Rank vs 10 years ago: —; Not ranked then
Births vs 10 years ago: —; Not published both years
Share of its own peak: 0%; Peak was 1924 (8)
Years since peak: 101; Years
Year-to-year steadiness: Volatile; 33.9% average annual change
Best rank ever: #3,433; 1924

Pendleton by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025: Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago: —
Best rank ever: #3,433; 1924
Peak year: 1924; 8 that year
First recorded: 1915
Last recorded: 2020
All-time count: 49
Count in 2025: Under 5

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025: Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago: —
Best rank ever: #14,149; 2015
Peak year: 2015; 7 that year
First recorded: 2015
Last recorded: 2021
All-time count: 13
Count in 2025: Under 5

Names similar to Pendleton

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

Sibling names for Pendleton

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

For a sister

Rosina Kattie Lavon Blanch Jaunita Vernell Dorris Leonora

For a brother

Alvis Eldridge Merritt Lacy Delmer Wilton Elwin Domenick

Explore around Pendleton

Top names of 1924, Pendleton's peak year The 1920s in full Other names that peaked in 1924 Boys' names starting with P