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

Painter, 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 Painter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Painter in America

Painter is the 1641st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Painter surname appeared 21,969 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Painter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Painter 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 Painter

The surname Painter is an English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "peintour" and the Middle English word "peintor", meaning a painter or decorator. The name originated in England during the medieval period and referred to someone who painted decorations, especially on buildings or furniture.

The surname Painter is first recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it appears as "Johanne le Peyntour". This early record suggests that the name was already in use by the 13th century. Other early spellings of the name include Peyntor, Paynter, and Painter.

In the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1197, there is a reference to a "William le Peintour", which is one of the earliest known instances of the name. This record indicates that the occupation of painting was well-established in England by the late 12th century.

The surname Painter is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Peintor" in the county of Oxfordshire. This ancient record suggests that the name and occupation were present in England even before the Norman Conquest.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Painter, a cleric and writer who lived in the late 14th century. He is recorded as the author of a theological work titled "Opusculum de Ecclesia" (Little Work on the Church).

Another notable individual with the surname Painter was William Painter (c. 1540-1594), an English author and translator who is best known for his work "The Palace of Pleasure", a collection of stories translated from various sources.

In the 16th century, there was a family of Painters in the town of Arundel, West Sussex, who were prominent in the local community. One member, John Painter (c. 1520-1580), served as the Mayor of Arundel and was a respected figure in the town.

Robert Painter (c. 1648-1719) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several works, including "A Modest Plea for the Baptismal and Former Ages", published in 1687.

In the 18th century, Thomas Painter (1735-1799) was a prominent English painter and engraver who was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1784.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Painter

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

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

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

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