2000
#12,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,196
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Pal
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "pāla," meaning "protector," "guardian," or "keeper."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,609 Americans carry the last name Pal. That puts it at #7,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,366 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pal 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 Pal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,366
Census rank
#7,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,019 bearers of the surname Pal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pal
Among Census respondents with the surname Pal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pal 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 Pal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.1% · 2,937
- White18.2% · 733
- Two or more races3.4% · 138
- Black or African American2.7% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pal
Pal 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
#8,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,844
+1,648 bearers (+75.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 4,275 places
2020
#7,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,019
+175 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,845 | 2,196 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,570 | 3,844 | 1.30 | +1,648 bearers (+75.0%) | Up 4,275 places |
| 2020 | #7,921 | 4,019 | 1.34 | +175 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 649 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 Pal 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 | #8,570 | #7,921 | 7.6% |
| Count | 3,844 | 4,019 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.34 | 3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pal bearers went from 3,844 to 4,019 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 649 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,570 to #7,921.
FAQ
Pal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pal?
Name Census estimates that about 4,609 living Americans carry the surname Pal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,366 residents.
How common is Pal?
Pal ranks #7,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,019 people with the surname Pal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,609), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pal.
Has Pal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pal went from 3,844 recorded bearers to 4,019. That is an increase of 175 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,570 to #7,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Pal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (2,937 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.1%), White (18.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Pal (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 Pal mean?
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "pāla," meaning "protector," "guardian," or "keeper." 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 Pal (1.34 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 last name Pal?
See how many people are called Pal on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.