2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pabin
A surname potentially derived from the French word "pabin", meaning a farmer or peasant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Pabin. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pabin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Pabin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pabin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pabin
The surname PABIN is believed to have originated in France during the 13th century. It is likely derived from the Old French word "pain," which means bread, suggesting that the name's earliest bearers may have been bakers or millers. The name was primarily concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PABIN surname can be found in the "Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen," a register of the citizens of Rouen, which dates back to the late 13th century. The name is also mentioned in various medieval documents from the region, such as land records and tax rolls.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Jean PABIN was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Dieppe, a coastal city in Normandy. His descendants continued to play an influential role in the local community for several generations.
During the 16th century, the PABIN name appeared in several historical records from the region of Brittany. One notable individual was Gilles PABIN, a skilled artisan and woodcarver who contributed to the decorative elements of several notable churches and cathedrals in the area, including the Cathedral of Saint-Malo.
In the 17th century, a branch of the PABIN family settled in the town of Honfleur, another coastal town in Normandy. Jacques PABIN (1612-1678) was a successful shipbuilder and merchant who played a significant role in the town's maritime trade during this period.
Another noteworthy figure was Marie PABIN (1645-1718), a renowned author and poet from the city of Rouen. Her works, which included poetry and plays, were widely acclaimed and influential during the French literary renaissance.
As the PABIN surname spread throughout France and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, including Pabin, Pabain, Pabyn, and Pabaing, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pabin
Among Census respondents with the surname Pabin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pabin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pabin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pabin
Pabin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,468 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+13 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,468 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 13,217 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pabin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #159,712 | #146,495 | 8.3% |
| Count | 101 | 114 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pabin bearers went from 101 to 114 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 13,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #146,495.
FAQ
Pabin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pabin?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Pabin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Pabin?
Pabin ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Pabin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pabin.
Has Pabin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pabin went from 101 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 13 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Pabin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pabin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pabin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pabin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pabin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pabin mean?
A surname potentially derived from the French word "pabin", meaning a farmer or peasant. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pabin (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Pabin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.