Find out how popular the last name Padalecki is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Padalecki.

Padalecki, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Padalecki surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Padalecki in America

Padalecki is the 115034th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Padalecki surname appeared 152 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Padalecki.

We can also compare 2010 data for Padalecki to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Padalecki

The surname Padalecki is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the region of Podlasie, located in modern-day northeastern Poland. The name is believed to be derived from the Polish word "pad," meaning "a small valley" or "a gully," combined with the suffix "-alecki," which suggests a connection to a specific place or locality. This linguistic construction suggests that the name originally referred to someone who hailed from or resided in an area characterized by small valleys or gullies.

Historically, the Padalecki name appears to have been concentrated in the Podlasie region, particularly in the villages and towns surrounding the city of Białystok. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in parish records and land registers from the 16th and 17th centuries, where it is often spelled in variations such as "Padalecki," "Padalecky," or "Padaletzki."

Notably, in the early 18th century, a nobleman named Jan Padalecki (1687-1754) served as a military officer in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and participated in several campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. His exploits were documented in contemporary chronicles, solidifying the Padalecki name in historical records of that era.

Another prominent figure bearing the Padalecki surname was Franciszek Padalecki (1809-1875), a renowned Polish painter and professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia. His works, depicting historical and religious scenes, are housed in numerous museums and galleries across Europe.

In the late 19th century, a Polish-American novelist and playwright named Wacław Padalecki (1859-1931) gained acclaim for his literary works, which often explored themes of immigration and the experiences of Polish diaspora communities in the United States.

During the early 20th century, a Polish mathematician and logician named Jan Padalecki (1882-1952) made significant contributions to the fields of set theory and foundations of mathematics, collaborating with renowned scholars such as Alfred Tarski and Kazimierz Kuratowski.

The Padalecki name has also been associated with notable figures in more recent times, such as the American actor Jared Padalecki (born 1982), known for his roles in popular television series like "Supernatural" and "Gilmore Girls."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Padalecki

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Padalecki.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Padalecki was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Padalecki has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Padalecki was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Padalecki, please contact us.

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