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

Padua, 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 Padua surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Padua in America

Padua is the 12411th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Padua surname appeared 2,505 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 Padua.

We can also compare 2010 data for Padua 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 Padua

The surname Padua has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the city of Padua (Padova in Italian), which was an important center of culture and learning during the Middle Ages.

The city of Padua has roots that can be traced back to ancient Roman times, but the surname itself likely emerged during the 12th or 13th century, when family names began to be adopted more widely in Europe. The name may have been initially used to identify individuals who hailed from the city of Padua or who had some connection to the area.

Padua was an influential city during the Renaissance, and the surname can be found in historical records and documents from that era. For instance, the famous Italian painter Andrea Mantegna, who lived from 1431 to 1506, was born in the town of Isola di Carturo, near Padua, and his full name was Andrea di Blasio di Michiel de' Padovani.

Another notable figure associated with the surname Padua was Francesco Padovani, a 16th-century Italian composer and organist who was born in Padua around 1546. He is considered one of the leading composers of the Venetian School during the Renaissance.

In the 17th century, a Jesuit priest named Matteo Ricci, who played a significant role in introducing Christianity to China, was born in Macerata, Italy, with the surname Padua (Matteo Ricci di Padova) in 1552.

Moving forward to the 19th century, a prominent Italian politician and writer named Giuseppe Padovani was born in Padua in 1845. He served as a member of the Italian parliament and wrote several works on political and social issues.

Finally, in the 20th century, the Italian film director and screenwriter Ermanno Padovani, who was born in Padua in 1914, gained recognition for his work in Italian cinema, directing films such as "La Ragazza di Bube" (1963) and "Il Conto è Chiuso" (1976).

While the surname Padua has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, carrying with it the rich history and cultural significance associated with the city of Padua.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Padua

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

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

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

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