2000
#1,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,702
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.67
Uncommon Last name
Pagan
A descriptive surname referring to someone who adhered to pre-Christian, polytheistic religious beliefs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,544 Americans carry the last name Pagan. That puts it at #1,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pagan 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 Pagan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,444
Census rank
#1,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,020 bearers of the surname Pagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Black (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pagan
The surname Pagan originated in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "paganus," which means "villager" or "rustic." The name was likely given to someone who lived in a rural or village area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pagan can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name was spelled "Paganell" at the time.
In the 12th century, a prominent Norman family in England bore the name Pagan or Paynell. William Pagan, who lived around 1150, was a landowner and nobleman in Lincolnshire. Another notable figure was Ralph Pagan, a Scottish cleric who served as the Bishop of Aberdeen from 1256 to 1281.
During the 13th century, the surname Pagan was also found in various records in Scotland. One example is Walter Pagan, who was a witness to a charter granted by Alexander III, King of Scotland, in 1262.
In the 14th century, a place called Pagan's Hall existed in Norfolk, England, which may have been named after someone with the surname Pagan. John Pagan, a Scottish scholar and philosopher, lived from around 1360 to 1430 and was known for his work on logic and metaphysics.
In the 16th century, a prominent family with the surname Pagan resided in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. One member, Thomas Pagan (1545-1626), was a wealthy merchant and benefactor who helped establish a grammar school in the town.
Other notable individuals with the surname Pagan throughout history include Robert Pagan (1610-1664), an English mathematician and astronomer; Blaise François Pagan (1604-1665), a French philosopher and historian; and James Pagan (1811-1870), a Scottish landscape painter known for his depictions of the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Black (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pagan 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 Pagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.5% · 20,544
- White10.7% · 2,569
- Black or African American2.3% · 544
- Two or more races0.8% · 188
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pagan
Pagan 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
#1,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,474
+2,772 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 7.96
Rank movement Up 65 places
2020
#1,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,020
+546 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 8.04
Rank movement Up 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,593 | 20,702 | 7.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,528 | 23,474 | 7.96 | +2,772 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,445 | 24,020 | 8.04 | +546 bearers (+2.3%) | Up 83 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 Pagan 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 | #1,528 | #1,445 | 5.4% |
| Count | 23,474 | 24,020 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.96 | 8.04 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pagan bearers went from 23,474 to 24,020 (+2.3% change). The surname moved up 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,528 to #1,445.
FAQ
Pagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pagan?
Name Census estimates that about 27,544 living Americans carry the surname Pagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,444 residents.
How common is Pagan?
Pagan ranks #1,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,020 people with the surname Pagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,544), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Pagan.
Has Pagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pagan went from 23,474 recorded bearers to 24,020. That is an increase of 546 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,528 to #1,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Pagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Black (2.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (20,544 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.5%), White (10.7%), Black (2.3%). 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 Pagan (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 Pagan mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone who adhered to pre-Christian, polytheistic religious beliefs. 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 Pagan (8.04 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 common is the surname Pagan?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Pagan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.