2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pagana
An Italian surname referring to someone of pagan beliefs or origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Pagana. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pagana 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Pagana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagana, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pagana
The surname Pagana has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "paganus," which initially referred to a person living in a rural area or village, but later took on the meaning of a non-Christian or pagan.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Pagana name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni region of southern Italy, dating back to the 9th century. In these records, individuals with the surname Pagana are listed as landowners and residents of various villages in the area.
During the 12th century, the Pagana family established a presence in the city of Genoa, where they were involved in maritime trade and commerce. One notable member from this period was Guglielmo Pagana, a wealthy merchant and ship owner who lived between 1150 and 1220.
The name Pagana also appears in several historical documents from the 14th century, including the Catasto Fiorentino, a tax record from the Republic of Florence. This suggests that families bearing this surname had spread to different regions of Italy by that time.
In the 15th century, a branch of the Pagana family settled in the town of Verona, where they became prominent members of the local nobility. One of their descendants, Giovanni Battista Pagana (1472-1537), was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Venetian courts.
Another noteworthy individual with the Pagana surname was Gian Vincenzo Pagana (1556-1624), a Venetian architect and engineer who designed several important buildings in Venice, including the church of San Zaccaria and the Palazzo Grimani.
Throughout the centuries, the Pagana name has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from artists and writers to politicians and military leaders. Some other notable bearers of this surname include the Italian painter Girolamo Pagana (1521-1592), the Spanish soldier and explorer Pedro Pagana (1565-1637), and the Italian composer and violinist Antonio Pagana (1688-1760).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pagana
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagana, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pagana 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 Pagana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pagana
Pagana 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-10 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,218 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+15 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 21,218 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 15,218 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 Pagana 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 | #160,975 | #145,757 | 9.5% |
| Count | 100 | 115 | 15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pagana bearers went from 100 to 115 (+15.0% change). The surname moved up 15,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #145,757.
FAQ
Pagana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pagana?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Pagana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Pagana?
Pagana ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Pagana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pagana.
Has Pagana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pagana went from 100 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 15 (+15.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Pagana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagana, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Pagana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pagana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Pagana (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 Pagana mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone of pagan beliefs or origin. 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 Pagana (0.04 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 many people have the surname Pagana?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.