2000
#26,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Paget
A surname referring to someone who lived near a small village or hamlet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,077 Americans carry the last name Paget. That puts it at #27,218 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 318,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paget 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 Paget with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 318,249
Census rank
#27,218
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
939
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 939 bearers of the surname Paget in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27218th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paget, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paget
The surname Paget originates from the Normandy region of France and is believed to have derived from the Old French words "pag" and "pagus", meaning "peasant" and "country district" respectively. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived or worked in a rural area or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the Paget surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Paget" and "Pagiet". This indicates that the name had already become established in England by the late 11th century, following the Norman Conquest of 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the Paget family held lands in Leicestershire and Staffordshire, England. One notable member was William Paget (c. 1506-1563), who served as a diplomat and Secretary of State under King Henry VIII and Edward VI.
In the 16th century, the Paget family acquired the estate of Beaudesert in Staffordshire, which remained their principal seat until the late 19th century. Sir William Paget (1572-1628) was a prominent figure during this time and served as Lord Paget of Beaudesert.
Another significant historical figure was Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge (1663-1743), who was a British Army officer and politician. He fought in the War of the Spanish Succession and was later made a Knight of the Garter.
The Paget family produced several notable military leaders, including Sir Edward Paget (1775-1849), who served as a British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War. He was also a Member of Parliament and held the position of Groom of the Bedchamber to King George IV.
In the field of science, Sir James Paget (1814-1899) was an influential English surgeon and pathologist. He made significant contributions to the study of diseases and is credited with naming and describing several medical conditions, including Paget's disease of the bone.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paget
Among Census respondents with the surname Paget, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Paget 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 Paget surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 807
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 58
- Two or more races3.6% · 34
- Black or African American2.7% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paget
Paget 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
#27,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 874
-6 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,409 places
2020
#27,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 939
+65 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Up 338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,147 | 880 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,556 | 874 | 0.30 | -6 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 1,409 places |
| 2020 | #27,218 | 939 | 0.31 | +65 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 338 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 Paget 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 | #27,556 | #27,218 | 1.2% |
| Count | 874 | 939 | 7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.31 | 4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paget bearers went from 874 to 939 (+7.4% change). The surname moved up 338 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,556 to #27,218.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Paget
FAQ
Paget surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paget?
Name Census estimates that about 1,077 living Americans carry the surname Paget. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 318,249 residents.
How common is Paget?
Paget ranks #27,218 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 939 people with the surname Paget. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Paget.
Has Paget become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paget went from 874 recorded bearers to 939. That is an increase of 65 (+7.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #27,556 to #27,218.
What does the Census say about the background of Paget?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paget, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Paget in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (807 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paget appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Paget (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 Paget mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a small village or hamlet. 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 Paget (0.31 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 Paget?
You can see how many people have the last name Paget on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.