2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pagitt
An English surname likely derived from the medieval male name Paget.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Pagitt. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pagitt 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Pagitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pagitt
The surname Pagitt originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to derive from the Old French word "pag�" or "pag�e," meaning a servant or page. The earliest known spelling variations include Pagett, Pagit, Paggett, and Pagget.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a John Paget from Oxfordshire. The Pagitt family is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, indicating their presence in that region.
In the 16th century, the Pagitt name appeared in various historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1554, which mentions Robert Pagett. Another notable figure was Ephraim Pagitt (1575-1647), an English religious writer and author of several works, including "Christianographie" and "Heresiography."
The Pagitt family gained prominence in the 17th century, with James Pagitt (1592-1638) serving as a Member of Parliament for Congresbury in Somerset during the reign of Charles I. His son, Ephraim Pagitt (1620-1677), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned clergyman and author, publishing works on heraldry and ecclesiastical law.
Another notable individual was Henry Pagitt (1619-1677), who served as a Church of England clergyman and was appointed Archdeacon of Middlesex in 1663. His son, James Pagitt (1655-1718), continued the family's tradition in the clergy and held the position of Rector of St. Anne's, Soho.
In the 18th century, the Pagitt name can be found in various parish records and historical documents across England, such as the records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where several Pagitt family members were baptized, married, and buried.
The Pagitt surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Pagitt's Bromley in Staffordshire and Pagitt's Manor in Buckinghamshire, indicating the family's land ownership and influence in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pagitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pagitt 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 Pagitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 93
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pagitt
Pagitt 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-12 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,067 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 20,067 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 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 Pagitt 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 | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pagitt bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Pagitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pagitt?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Pagitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Pagitt?
Pagitt ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Pagitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Pagitt.
Has Pagitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pagitt went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Pagitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Pagitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pagitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Pagitt (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 Pagitt mean?
An English surname likely derived from the medieval male name Paget. 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 Pagitt (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 are called Pagitt?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Pagitt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.