Peacock
An English surname originally given as a nickname for someone thought to resemble or behave like a peacock.
The #1,659 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,220 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from the bird name, Middle English peacock, from Old English pawa and ultimately Latin pavo, meaning “peacock.” Early writers treated it as a nickname surname, often for a proud, showy, or striking person, or simply as a sign-name based on the bird. Some 19th-century sources also connect it with short forms such as Pea, Pay, or Poe, but the bird-name explanation is the standard one.
History
The name appears in medieval English records and developed alongside related spellings such as Pocock, Pencock, and Paycock. It stayed most common in England and later spread to other English-speaking countries. The surname is well known from the English mathematician George Peacock (1791–1858), but the name itself is much older than any one notable bearer.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because peacocks were associated with pride and display, the surname Peacock fits a wider medieval pattern of bird-based nicknames like Jay, Rook, and Lark.
From the historical record
“PEACHEY= Peaoh(q.v.)+the E..dim. suff. -ey. PEACOCK "I (Eng.) a nickname and sign- PEACOCKE J name from the Peacock [v. Pea; and + cock, O.E. cocc"] PEAK \ (Eng.) Dweller at a Pointed Hill PEAKE; [M.E. pec, pek; O.E. p^ac, a var. of p(c, a point, pike]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)