2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Padavich
A surname of Ukrainian or Belarusian origin meaning "one from Podava."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Padavich. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Padavich 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Padavich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Padavich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Padavich
The surname PADAVICH has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in modern-day Belarus and parts of western Russia. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the late 15th or early 16th century, deriving from the word "padava," which translates to "lowland" or "valley" in several Slavic languages. This suggests that the name may have initially been a topographic descriptor, likely referring to individuals who lived or worked in valleys or lowland areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PADAVICH surname can be traced back to a land registry document from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, dated 1521, which mentions a certain Ivan Padavich as a landowner in the region of Smolensk. This region, now part of western Russia, has a long history of Belarusian cultural influence, lending credence to the name's Eastern European origins.
In the 17th century, the PADAVICH surname gained some prominence in the Lithuanian-Belarusian nobility. Notably, Siemion Padavich (1610-1678) was a prominent military commander who served under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His exploits were recorded in several contemporary chronicles, solidifying the name's association with military service and leadership.
As the centuries progressed, the PADAVICH surname spread across various parts of the Russian Empire, with several notable individuals bearing the name. Ivan Padavich (1765-1832) was a renowned architect who contributed to the neoclassical architectural style in St. Petersburg and other cities. Mariya Padavich (1842-1919) was a celebrated painter and one of the first women to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.
Another notable figure was Nikolai Padavich (1870-1952), a renowned linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages. His work on the etymology and historical development of Belarusian and Russian vocabulary was widely acclaimed.
While the PADAVICH surname has remained relatively uncommon globally, it has maintained a strong presence in its regions of origin, particularly in Belarus and parts of western Russia. Despite its modest prominence, the name carries a rich historical legacy rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Padavich
Among Census respondents with the surname Padavich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Padavich 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 Padavich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Padavich
Padavich 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 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 Padavich 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 | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Padavich bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Padavich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Padavich?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Padavich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Padavich?
Padavich ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Padavich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Padavich.
Has Padavich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Padavich went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Padavich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Padavich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Padavich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Padavich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Padavich (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 Padavich mean?
A surname of Ukrainian or Belarusian origin meaning "one from Podava." 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 Padavich (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 Americans have the surname Padavich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.