2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pagaza
A Spanish surname possibly derived from the word "pago," meaning payment or tax.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Pagaza. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pagaza 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Pagaza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagaza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pagaza
The surname PAGAZA is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, an area known for its rugged landscapes and unique cultural traditions. The name likely derives from the Basque word "pagaza," meaning "beech tree," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near or worked with beech trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PAGAZA surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. In this manuscript, dated around the 11th century, a person named "Sancho Pagaza" is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the PAGAZA name appeared sporadically in various documents and records from the Basque region and neighboring areas. For instance, in the 14th century, a nobleman named Juan de PAGAZA was recorded as a witness to a legal transaction in the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, suggesting that the name held some prominence during that time.
As the centuries passed, the PAGAZA surname spread beyond its Basque origins, with notable individuals emerging in various fields. One such figure was Miguel de PAGAZA, a 16th-century Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico. Another notable bearer of the name was Catalina de PAGAZA, a 17th-century nun and writer from the Basque Country, known for her spiritual works and poetry.
In the 18th century, the PAGAZA surname gained further recognition with the birth of José María de PAGAZA y Aguirre (1739-1809), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1786 to 1789. During his tenure, he implemented several reforms and infrastructure projects that improved the island's defenses and economic development.
Another prominent figure bearing the PAGAZA name was Fermín PAGAZA y Guezala (1825-1896), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament and was involved in the drafting of the 1869 Spanish Constitution. His contributions to the legal and political spheres of his time solidified the PAGAZA name's association with intellectual and civic pursuits.
While the PAGAZA surname has maintained its roots in the Basque region and Spain, it has also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. As a result, the name has become a part of the diverse tapestry of global surnames, carrying with it the echoes of its rich historical and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pagaza
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagaza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pagaza 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 Pagaza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.7% · 100
- White10.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pagaza
Pagaza appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Pagaza 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pagaza bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Pagaza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pagaza?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Pagaza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Pagaza?
Pagaza ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Pagaza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Pagaza.
Has Pagaza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pagaza went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Pagaza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagaza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Pagaza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pagaza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.7%), White (10.5%), Black (0.9%). 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 Pagaza (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 Pagaza mean?
A Spanish surname possibly derived from the word "pago," meaning payment or tax. 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 Pagaza (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 Pagaza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.