2000
#6,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Paddock
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a small enclosed field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,597 Americans carry the last name Paddock. That puts it at #6,645 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paddock 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 Paddock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,239
Census rank
#6,645
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,881 bearers of the surname Paddock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6645th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paddock, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paddock
The surname Paddock is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pearroc," which referred to a small enclosed area or field used for grazing animals, particularly horses. The name's earliest known ancestors lived in areas of England where such paddocks or enclosures were commonly found.
The surname Paddock can be traced back to the 12th century, with records showing it in various spellings such as Parrock, Parrok, and Parroc. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1170, where a man named Roger Parroc is mentioned.
In the Domesday Book, a historical record commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several mentions of place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname Paddock. For instance, the village of "Parrok" in Lincolnshire and the manor of "Parrock" in Nottinghamshire are both recorded.
A notable early bearer of the surname Paddock was Sir John Paddock, who lived in the 14th century and served as the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire from 1361 to 1362. Another significant figure was Richard Paddock, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 15th century and was known for his philanthropic contributions to the city.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Paddock became more widespread across England, with records showing families bearing the name in counties such as Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire. One prominent individual from this period was John Paddock, a Puritan minister who was born in 1605 and served as the vicar of Charlton, near Bristol.
In the 18th century, the Paddock family gained prominence in the military, with Major-General Thomas Paddock (1732-1804) serving in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. Another notable figure was Sir Benjamin Paddock (1763-1839), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral and was knighted for his distinguished service.
Throughout the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Paddock made significant contributions in various fields. One such person was Clarence Paddock (1828-1897), an American inventor who patented several improvements to agricultural machinery. Another was Algernon Sidney Paddock (1830-1897), a prominent American politician who served as the 11th Governor of Nebraska.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paddock
Among Census respondents with the surname Paddock, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Paddock 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 Paddock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 4,210
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.1% · 250
- Two or more races4.0% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 161
- Black or African American0.7% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paddock
Paddock 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
#6,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,272
+21 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 412 places
2020
#6,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,881
-391 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,029 | 5,251 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,441 | 5,272 | 1.79 | +21 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 412 places |
| 2020 | #6,645 | 4,881 | 1.63 | -391 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 204 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 Paddock 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 | #6,441 | #6,645 | -3.2% |
| Count | 5,272 | 4,881 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.63 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paddock bearers went from 5,272 to 4,881 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,441 to #6,645.
FAQ
Paddock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paddock?
Name Census estimates that about 5,597 living Americans carry the surname Paddock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,239 residents.
How common is Paddock?
Paddock ranks #6,645 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,881 people with the surname Paddock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,597), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Paddock.
Has Paddock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paddock went from 5,272 recorded bearers to 4,881. That is a decrease of 391 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,441 to #6,645.
What does the Census say about the background of Paddock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paddock, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Paddock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (4,210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paddock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Paddock (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 Paddock mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a small enclosed field. 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 Paddock (1.63 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 surname Paddock?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.