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

Paden, 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 Paden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paden in America

Paden is the 7842nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paden surname appeared 4,223 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Paden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paden 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 Paden

The surname Paden originated in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada, now the area of Argyll and Bute. It is a habitation name derived from the Gaelic word "paidean," meaning hummock or small green knoll. This suggests that the name arose from a place where the original bearer lived near such a feature.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the year 1546, when Donald Padyane is mentioned in the "Records of Argyll." Another early record shows John Padene in the "Register of the Great Seal of Scotland" in 1599. These early spellings indicate the name's Scottish origins.

In the late 16th century, the name is recorded in the "Exchequer Rolls of Scotland," which were administrative and financial records of the Scottish royal household. This suggests that members of the Paden family held a position of some importance during this period.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Paden, a Scottish soldier and landowner who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence and was granted lands in Ayrshire for his service.

Another significant figure was Robert Paden, a Scottish merchant and trader who lived in the late 17th century. He was involved in the lucrative trade between Scotland and the Netherlands, and his business dealings helped to establish the Paden name in Dutch records of the time.

In the 18th century, the Paden family spread to Ireland, where variations of the name such as Padden and Paddyn became common. One notable Irish bearer of the name was Michael Paden, a prominent landowner and politician in County Donegal who lived from 1732 to 1812.

As the name spread beyond Scotland, it also found its way to the British colonies in North America. One of the earliest recorded Padens in America was John Paden, a Scottish immigrant who settled in Virginia in the late 17th century.

Over the centuries, the Paden surname has been carried by many individuals of note, including writers, artists, and military figures. Despite its Scottish origins, it has become a surname found throughout the English-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paden

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

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 Paden 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 Paden 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 Paden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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