2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pacos
A Spanish surname originating from the Galician region, derived from the word "paco" meaning peaceful or gentle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Pacos. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pacos 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Pacos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pacos
The surname Pacos is of Spanish origin, with its roots traced back to the 15th century Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have originated from the Spanish word "paco," which was a nickname for the given name Francisco. This nickname was derived from the Latin name "Franciscus," meaning "Frenchman."
In its earliest forms, the surname was spelled as "Paco" or "Paco de," with the latter indicating a place of origin or residence. Over time, the spelling evolved to "Pacos," which became a distinct surname in its own right. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pacos can be found in the archives of the Monasterio de San Salvador de Oña, a Benedictine monastery located in the province of Burgos, Spain. A document dated 1487 mentions a certain Juan Pacos, who was a landowner in the nearby village of Quintanilla de Somuñó.
In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with the rise of Pedro Pacos, a renowned Spanish architect and stonemason. Born in 1510 in Seville, Pedro Pacos was responsible for the construction of several notable churches and public buildings throughout Andalusia, including the Iglesia de San Juan de Aznalfarache and the Ayuntamiento de Utrera.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Pacos was Tomás Pacos, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Conquest of Granada in the late 15th century. Born in 1462 in Úbeda, Tomás Pacos was a captain in the army of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, and played a crucial role in the final expulsion of the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.
In the 18th century, the Pacos surname gained recognition in the field of literature with the emergence of María Pacos, a celebrated Spanish poet and writer. Born in 1725 in Málaga, María Pacos was known for her lyrical verses and her contributions to the Andalusian literary tradition.
The 19th century saw the rise of Juan Carlos Pacos, a prominent Spanish politician and statesman. Born in 1803 in Madrid, Juan Carlos Pacos served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the reign of Queen Isabella II and played a pivotal role in shaping Spain's diplomatic relations with other European nations.
While the surname Pacos has its origins in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin America, through migration and the Spanish colonial expansion. However, its historical roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, where it has left an indelible mark on the region's cultural and historical landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pacos
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pacos 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 Pacos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pacos
Pacos appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-17 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,954 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 14,954 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 Pacos 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 | #139,228 | #154,182 | -10.7% |
| Count | 120 | 103 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pacos bearers went from 120 to 103 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 14,954 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #154,182.
FAQ
Pacos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pacos?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Pacos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Pacos?
Pacos ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Pacos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pacos.
Has Pacos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pacos went from 120 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Pacos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Pacos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pacos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (7.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Pacos (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 Pacos mean?
A Spanish surname originating from the Galician region, derived from the word "paco" meaning peaceful or gentle. 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 Pacos (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Pacos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.