2000
#44,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 451
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Pakula
A Polish surname derived from a diminutive of the name Paweł (Paul).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 556 Americans carry the last name Pakula. That puts it at #47,189 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 616,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pakula 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 Pakula with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
556
1 in 616,465
Census rank
#47,189
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
485
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 485 bearers of the surname Pakula in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47189th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pakula, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pakula
The surname PAKULA is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Slavic word "pakul," which referred to a type of headgear or skullcap worn by men. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who wore this particular style of hat or were involved in its production.
One of the earliest known references to the PAKULA surname can be found in the historical records of the town of Krakow, Poland. In the 1560s, a man named Jan PAKULA was listed as a resident of the city, working as a tailor. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 17th century, the PAKULA surname appeared in various parish records and official documents throughout central and eastern Poland. Notable individuals from this era include Marcin PAKULA, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Wola Pękosławska in the mid-1600s.
As the centuries progressed, members of the PAKULA family migrated to other regions of Europe and eventually to other parts of the world. In the late 19th century, Józef PAKULA (1839-1915) was a renowned Polish painter and art teacher, known for his landscapes and portraits of rural life.
Another notable figure was Antoni PAKULA (1881-1944), a Polish military officer who fought in World War I and later became a member of the Polish resistance movement during World War II. He was executed by the German occupying forces in 1944.
In the 20th century, the PAKULA surname gained international recognition through the American film director, writer, and producer Alan J. PAKULA (1928-1998). He was known for directing critically acclaimed films such as "Klute," "The Parallax View," and "All the President's Men."
While the PAKULA surname originated in Poland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families of Polish descent carrying on the name and its rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pakula
Among Census respondents with the surname Pakula, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pakula 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 Pakula surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 459
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 18
- Two or more races1.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pakula
Pakula 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
#43,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 493
+42 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 1,089 places
2020
#47,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 485
-8 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 3,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,821 | 451 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,732 | 493 | 0.17 | +42 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 1,089 places |
| 2020 | #47,189 | 485 | 0.16 | -8 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 3,457 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 Pakula 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 | #43,732 | #47,189 | -7.9% |
| Count | 493 | 485 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pakula bearers went from 493 to 485 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 3,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,732 to #47,189.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pakula
FAQ
Pakula surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pakula?
Name Census estimates that about 556 living Americans carry the surname Pakula. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 616,465 residents.
How common is Pakula?
Pakula ranks #47,189 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 485 people with the surname Pakula. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pakula.
Has Pakula become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pakula went from 493 recorded bearers to 485. That is a decrease of 8 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,732 to #47,189.
What does the Census say about the background of Pakula?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pakula, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Pakula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (459 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pakula appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Pakula (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 Pakula mean?
A Polish surname derived from a diminutive of the name Paweł (Paul). 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 Pakula (0.16 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 people have the surname Pakula?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.