Find out how popular the last name Paik is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Paik.

Paik, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Paik surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paik in America

Paik is the 11371st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paik surname appeared 2,774 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Paik.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paik to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Paik

The surname PAIK is believed to have originated in Korea, with its earliest known records dating back to the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392 AD). It is thought to derive from the Korean word "paek," meaning "bright" or "shining," which may have been used to describe someone with a bright or radiant appearance.

During the Joseon dynasty (1392-1897 AD), the PAIK surname was particularly prevalent in the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions of Korea. It was often associated with scholars, officials, and members of the Korean aristocracy. One notable figure from this period was Paik In-gyu (1639-1707), a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar and writer who served as a high-ranking government official.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as Korean immigration to other parts of the world began to increase, the PAIK surname became more widely dispersed. One of the earliest known Korean immigrants to the United States was Paik Hong-yong (1880-1969), who arrived in Hawaii in 1904 and later settled in California, where he worked as a farmer and became involved in the Korean independence movement.

Another prominent individual with the PAIK surname was Paik Nam-june (1932-2006), a pioneering Korean-American artist widely regarded as the founder of video art. Paik's innovative use of technology and multimedia installations made him a highly influential figure in the art world, and he is credited with coining the term "electronic superhighway" to describe the global network of communication and information exchange.

In the field of academia, Paik Nak-chung (born 1927) is a renowned Korean scholar, literary critic, and translator who has made significant contributions to the study of Korean literature and culture. He has been a vocal advocate for democracy and human rights in South Korea.

Other notable individuals with the PAIK surname include Paik Young-sam (1859-1935), a Korean educator and independence activist who played a pivotal role in the establishment of modern education in Korea, and Paik Sun-yup (1879-1965), a Korean military leader and independence activist who served as the first Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paik

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Paik.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Paik was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Paik has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Paik was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Paik, please contact us.

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