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

Pal, 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 Pal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pal in America

Pal is the 8570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pal surname appeared 3,844 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pal 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 Pal

The surname PAL is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent during the medieval period. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "pala," which means "protector" or "guardian." This name was commonly used in various regions of India and was particularly prevalent among certain castes and communities.

One of the earliest known references to the surname PAL can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, where it was often used to denote individuals who held positions of authority or acted as guardians of certain traditions or customs. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time period when the name began to be used as a hereditary surname.

In the 12th century, the PAL surname gained prominence during the reign of the Pala Empire, a Buddhist imperial power that ruled over parts of the Indian subcontinent. During this time, many individuals associated with the imperial court or the ruling class adopted the surname PAL, which became a symbol of prestige and power.

Throughout the centuries, the PAL surname has been carried by numerous notable individuals from various walks of life. One of the earliest recorded examples is Govindapal, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 8th century CE. Another notable figure was Vikramaditya, a powerful king of the Pala Empire who ruled in the 11th century and was known for his patronage of arts and literature.

In the field of literature, the PAL surname has been associated with several prominent writers and poets. One such figure was Bihari Lal Pal, a renowned Hindi poet and writer who lived from 1834 to 1894 and is considered a pioneer of modern Hindi literature.

The PAL surname has also been carried by influential political figures throughout history. Bipin Chandra Pal, born in 1858 and died in 1932, was a prominent Indian nationalist and one of the leading figures in the Indian independence movement alongside Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai, collectively known as the "Lal Bal Pal" triumvirate.

Another notable individual with the PAL surname was Radhabinod Pal, a distinguished Indian jurist who served as a member of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East during the Tokyo War Crimes Trials after World War II. He was born in 1886 and died in 1967.

Over time, the PAL surname has spread to various parts of the world, including countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, primarily due to migration and diaspora communities. While the name has retained its Indian roots, it has also taken on new meanings and associations in different cultural contexts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pal

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

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

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

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