2000
#7,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,914
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Pablo
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,582 Americans carry the last name Pablo. That puts it at #4,597 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pablo 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
8.6K
1 in 39,939
Census rank
#4,597
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,484 bearers of the surname Pablo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4597th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pablo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (9.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pablo
The surname Pablo originated from Spain during medieval times. It is derived from the Latin name Paulus, which was originally a Roman family name meaning "small" or "humble." The name was Hispanicized to Pablo as it spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
Pablo first appeared in historical records in the 8th century, during the Muslim conquest of Spain. It gained prominence as a Christian name during the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms reclaimed control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors between the 8th and 15th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pablo can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías, a 14th-century Castilian manuscript that documented landholdings and taxation. The name was also present in the Catastro de Ensenada, a census-like document from the 18th century that catalogued the population and wealth of Spain.
The surname Pablo has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Pablo de Santa María (1350-1435), a Jewish convert to Christianity who became Bishop of Burgos and a prominent figure in the Spanish Inquisition. Another was Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), the world-renowned Spanish painter and co-founder of the Cubist movement.
Other notable individuals with the surname Pablo include Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), the Chilean poet and diplomat who won the Nobel Prize in Literature; Pablo Escobar (1949-1993), the notorious Colombian drug lord and narco-terrorist; and Pablo Casals (1876-1973), the celebrated Catalan cellist and conductor.
While the surname Pablo originated in Spain, it has since spread to other Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Latin America, due to the influence of Spanish colonization and migration. It remains a common surname throughout the Hispanic world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pablo
Among Census respondents with the surname Pablo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (9.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pablo 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 Pablo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino63.9% · 4,783
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.6% · 1,464
- American Indian and Alaska Native9.5% · 712
- White3.2% · 241
- Two or more races2.6% · 197
- Black or African American1.2% · 87
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pablo
Pablo 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
#5,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,462
+2,548 bearers (+65.1%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Up 2,461 places
2020
#4,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,484
+1,022 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Up 787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,845 | 3,914 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,384 | 6,462 | 2.19 | +2,548 bearers (+65.1%) | Up 2,461 places |
| 2020 | #4,597 | 7,484 | 2.50 | +1,022 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 787 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 Pablo 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 | #5,384 | #4,597 | 14.6% |
| Count | 6,462 | 7,484 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.50 | 14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pablo bearers went from 6,462 to 7,484 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 787 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,384 to #4,597.
FAQ
Pablo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pablo?
Name Census estimates that about 8,582 living Americans carry the surname Pablo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,939 residents.
How common is Pablo?
Pablo ranks #4,597 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,484 people with the surname Pablo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,582), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pablo.
Has Pablo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pablo went from 6,462 recorded bearers to 7,484. That is an increase of 1,022 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,384 to #4,597.
What does the Census say about the background of Pablo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pablo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (9.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pablo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.9% (4,783 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pablo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (63.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (9.5%). 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 Pablo (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 Pablo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble." 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 Pablo (2.50 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 share the surname Pablo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.