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

Paillant, 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 Paillant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paillant in America

Paillant is the 106570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paillant surname appeared 167 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Paillant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paillant 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 Paillant

The surname Paillant originates from France and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "paile," which means straw or thatch, suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for a thatcher or someone who worked with straw.

In the early 13th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Chartres Cathedral Archives, where a certain Renaud Paillant was mentioned as a resident of the city. The name was also found in the Paris tax rolls of 1292, indicating its presence in the capital city.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paillant can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a record of the burgesses of Rouen, Normandy, dating back to 1292. This document lists a Jean Paillant among the city's inhabitants.

During the 14th century, the name spread across various regions of France, appearing in records from Burgundy, Champagne, and the Île-de-France region. In 1347, a Nicolas Paillant was recorded as a landowner in the village of Chaumont-sur-Aire, near Troyes.

In the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Jean Paillant (c. 1420-1495), a renowned French sculptor and architect from Rouen. He is known for his work on the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Rouen and the Church of Saint-Jacques in Dieppe.

Another notable figure bearing the Paillant surname was François Paillant (1564-1634), a French Jesuit priest and theologian from Langres. He served as a professor of theology at the Jesuit College in Paris and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

During the 17th century, the name Paillant appeared in various regions of France, including Brittany, Normandy, and the Île-de-France. In 1637, a Jacques Paillant was recorded as a merchant in the town of Rennes, Brittany.

In the 18th century, the name Paillant was found in the records of the French aristocracy. Louis-Alexandre Paillant (1736-1819) was a French nobleman and military officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.

Throughout the 19th century, the Paillant name continued to be present in various parts of France. One notable figure was Charles-Nicolas Paillant de Villeneuve (1806-1890), a French politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the National Assembly.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paillant

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

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 Paillant 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 Paillant 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 Paillant was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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