2000
#807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,975
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.45
Uncommon Last name
Pace
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who acted as a mediator or peace-keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,241 Americans carry the last name Pace. That puts it at #886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pace 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pace with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,747
Census rank
#886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,580 bearers of the surname Pace in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pace, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pace
The surname Pace is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "pax" meaning peace. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, potentially as a nickname for someone with a calm and peaceful demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pace surname can be traced back to the 13th century in regions such as Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. The name is also found in historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as tax records and property deeds.
One notable historical figure bearing the Pace surname was Giovanni Battista Pace (1555-1637), an Italian mathematician and astronomer. He is best known for his work on the construction of sundials and his contributions to the study of optics.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Pietro Pace (1472-1514), an Italian humanist and scholar. He served as a secretary to Pope Leo X and was renowned for his Latin translations of Greek works.
In the 16th century, the Pace family held significant influence in the Republic of Venice. Antonio Pace (1503-1570) was a Venetian senator and ambassador, known for his diplomatic efforts in negotiating peace treaties.
The Pace surname also has historical ties to the island of Sicily, where it was particularly prevalent. One notable Sicilian with this name was Francesco Pace (1808-1882), a politician and writer who played a role in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification.
In the realm of art, the Italian painter Giuseppe Pace (1679-1738) gained recognition for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning churches in Rome and Naples.
While the surname Pace has its origins in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration. However, it remains deeply rooted in its Italian heritage, reflecting the historical significance and contributions of individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pace
Among Census respondents with the surname Pace, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pace 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 Pace surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 29,157
- Black or African American16.0% · 6,178
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,499
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,277
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 301
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 168
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pace
Pace 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
#868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,879
+904 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 13.52
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,580
-1,299 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 12.91
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #807 | 38,975 | 14.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #868 | 39,879 | 13.52 | +904 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #886 | 38,580 | 12.91 | -1,299 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 18 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 Pace 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 | #868 | #886 | -2.1% |
| Count | 39,879 | 38,580 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 13.52 | 12.91 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pace bearers went from 39,879 to 38,580 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #868 to #886.
FAQ
Pace surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pace?
Name Census estimates that about 44,241 living Americans carry the surname Pace. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,747 residents.
How common is Pace?
Pace ranks #886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,580 people with the surname Pace. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Pace.
Has Pace become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pace went from 39,879 recorded bearers to 38,580. That is a decrease of 1,299 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #868 to #886.
What does the Census say about the background of Pace?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pace, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Pace in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (29,157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pace appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (16.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Pace (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 Pace mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who acted as a mediator or peace-keeper. 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 Pace (12.91 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 last name Pace?
Want to know how many people have the surname Pace? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.