2000
#8,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Paiz
A Spanish surname derived from the word "país," meaning "country" or "nation."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,216 Americans carry the last name Paiz. That puts it at #7,087 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paiz 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
5.2K
1 in 65,712
Census rank
#7,087
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,549 bearers of the surname Paiz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7087th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paiz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paiz
The surname Paiz has its origins in the Spanish language and can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old Spanish word "paiz," which referred to a region or territory. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who hailed from a particular locale or province.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Paiz surname can be found in the medieval records of the Kingdom of Aragon, which was situated in present-day northeastern Spain and southern France. These documents, dating back to the 13th century, mention several individuals bearing the name, indicating its presence in the region during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Libro de Repartimiento, a historical record that documented the distribution of land and properties among the conquering Christian forces following the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. This suggests that individuals with the Paiz surname may have played a role in the reconquest or were rewarded with land grants for their services.
During the 15th century, the Paiz surname gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. Historical records from this period mention notable individuals such as Juan Paiz, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Seville during the latter half of the 15th century.
As the centuries progressed, the Paiz surname spread to other parts of Spain and eventually made its way to the Americas during the Age of Exploration and Spanish colonization. One notable figure was Pedro Paiz, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Paiz surname gained recognition in the field of literature with the birth of Francisco Paiz y Bances, a renowned Spanish playwright and poet who lived from 1619 to 1688. His works, which included comedies and tragedies, were highly acclaimed during the Spanish Golden Age.
Another noteworthy individual with the Paiz surname was Juan Paiz Valverde, a 17th-century Spanish painter who was celebrated for his religious and historical works. He was born in Seville in 1623 and achieved significant recognition for his artistic contributions during his lifetime.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the globe, the Paiz surname continued to spread, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, from exploration and conquest to arts and literature, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural fabric of the regions they inhabited.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paiz
Among Census respondents with the surname Paiz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Paiz 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 Paiz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.3% · 4,017
- White8.7% · 394
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 39
- Two or more races0.5% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paiz
Paiz 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
#7,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,347
+728 bearers (+20.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Up 758 places
2020
#7,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,549
+202 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 551 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,396 | 3,619 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,638 | 4,347 | 1.47 | +728 bearers (+20.1%) | Up 758 places |
| 2020 | #7,087 | 4,549 | 1.52 | +202 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 551 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 Paiz 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 | #7,638 | #7,087 | 7.2% |
| Count | 4,347 | 4,549 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.52 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paiz bearers went from 4,347 to 4,549 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 551 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,638 to #7,087.
FAQ
Paiz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paiz?
Name Census estimates that about 5,216 living Americans carry the surname Paiz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,712 residents.
How common is Paiz?
Paiz ranks #7,087 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,549 people with the surname Paiz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,216), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Paiz.
Has Paiz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paiz went from 4,347 recorded bearers to 4,549. That is an increase of 202 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,638 to #7,087.
What does the Census say about the background of Paiz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paiz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Paiz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (4,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paiz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.3%), White (8.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Paiz (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 Paiz mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "país," meaning "country" or "nation." 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 Paiz (1.52 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 Americans have the surname Paiz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.