2000
#3,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.15
Rare Last name
Paine
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a servant or attendant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,103 Americans carry the last name Paine. That puts it at #4,325 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,653 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paine 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 Paine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,653
Census rank
#4,325
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,938 bearers of the surname Paine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4325th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paine
The surname Paine originated in England and is derived from the Old French word "peine", meaning pain or punishment. It is believed to have been an occupational name for a jailer or torturer. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with records showing it as "Paine" and "Payne".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Paine" in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. This suggests that the name was already well-established in those regions by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Payn", "Payne", and "Paine". These variations were due to regional dialects and spelling inconsistencies at the time.
In the 13th century, a prominent family by the name of Paine held lands in Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire. The name is also found in medieval records from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Sir Thomas Paine (c. 1350-1419), a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire during the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV.
Another historical figure was Robert Paine (c. 1599-1658), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. He was among the first settlers of Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Thomas Paine (1737-1809), the famous political philosopher, is arguably the most renowned bearer of the surname. He was born in England but is best known for his influential writings during the American Revolution, including "Common Sense" and "The Rights of Man".
Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a prominent lawyer in Massachusetts.
Charles C. Paine (1799-1853) was a notable architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Boston, including the Boston Athenaeum and the Massachusetts State House.
Throughout history, the Paine surname has been associated with various occupations, including clergymen, politicians, lawyers, and architects. Its origins as an occupational name reflect the diverse backgrounds and roles of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paine
Among Census respondents with the surname Paine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Paine 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 Paine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 6,895
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 368
- Two or more races3.9% · 313
- Black or African American3.0% · 239
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paine
Paine 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
#4,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,501
+6 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Down 330 places
2020
#4,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,938
-563 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,841 | 8,495 | 3.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,171 | 8,501 | 2.88 | +6 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 330 places |
| 2020 | #4,325 | 7,938 | 2.66 | -563 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 154 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 Paine 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 | #4,171 | #4,325 | -3.7% |
| Count | 8,501 | 7,938 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.88 | 2.66 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paine bearers went from 8,501 to 7,938 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 154 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,171 to #4,325.
FAQ
Paine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paine?
Name Census estimates that about 9,103 living Americans carry the surname Paine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,653 residents.
How common is Paine?
Paine ranks #4,325 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,938 people with the surname Paine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Paine.
Has Paine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paine went from 8,501 recorded bearers to 7,938. That is a decrease of 563 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,171 to #4,325.
What does the Census say about the background of Paine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paine, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Paine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (6,895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Paine (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 Paine mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a servant or attendant. 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 Paine (2.66 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 Paine?
See how many people have the last name Paine on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.