2000
#13,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,030
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Padua
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Padua in northern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,087 Americans carry the last name Padua. That puts it at #11,230 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,032 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Padua 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
3.1K
1 in 111,032
Census rank
#11,230
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,692 bearers of the surname Padua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11230th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Padua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (35.9%) and White (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Padua
Among Census respondents with the surname Padua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (35.9%) and White (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Padua 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 Padua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander51.9% · 1,397
- Hispanic or Latino35.9% · 966
- White7.6% · 205
- Two or more races3.6% · 97
- Black or African American1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Padua
Padua 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
#12,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,505
+475 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 1,291 places
2020
#11,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,692
+187 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 1,181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,702 | 2,030 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,411 | 2,505 | 0.85 | +475 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 1,291 places |
| 2020 | #11,230 | 2,692 | 0.90 | +187 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 1,181 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 Padua 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 | #12,411 | #11,230 | 9.5% |
| Count | 2,505 | 2,692 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.90 | 6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Padua bearers went from 2,505 to 2,692 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 1,181 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,411 to #11,230.
FAQ
Padua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Padua?
Name Census estimates that about 3,087 living Americans carry the surname Padua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,032 residents.
How common is Padua?
Padua ranks #11,230 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,692 people with the surname Padua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,087), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Padua.
Has Padua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Padua went from 2,505 recorded bearers to 2,692. That is an increase of 187 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,411 to #11,230.
What does the Census say about the background of Padua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Padua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (35.9%) and White (7.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Padua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (1,397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Padua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (51.9%), Hispanic (35.9%), White (7.6%). 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 Padua (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 Padua mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Padua in northern Italy. 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 Padua (0.90 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 last name Padua?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Padua on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.