2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Palefsky
A surname derived from the Russian term for "pale-faced" or a nickname for someone with a sallow complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Palefsky. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palefsky 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Palefsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palefsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palefsky
The surname Palefsky is of Russian origin, first appearing in historical records in the late 18th century. It is believed to have originated from the Russian word "palefka," which refers to a type of traditional Russian bread oven or clay stove. The name likely evolved from an occupational designation for someone who worked with these ovens or specialized in baking bread.
In the early 19th century, the name Palefsky can be found in various Russian census records and official documents, particularly in the regions of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name include Ivan Palefsky (born c. 1785) and Andrei Palefsky (born c. 1798), both of whom were listed as bakers or oven workers in Moscow.
As the Russian Empire expanded and emigration patterns shifted, the Palefsky name began to spread across Eastern Europe and beyond. By the mid-19th century, variations of the name, such as Palefski and Palefska, appeared in Polish and Ukrainian records, indicating the movement of families bearing this surname.
One notable historical figure with the Palefsky surname was Grigory Palefsky (1832-1901), a Russian merchant and philanthropist who was instrumental in establishing several schools and charitable organizations in his hometown of Ryazan. Another prominent individual was Yakov Palefsky (1870-1944), a Russian-born political activist and author who advocated for workers' rights and published several influential works on socialism and labor movements.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as waves of Russian and Eastern European immigration brought many families to the United States and other parts of the world, the Palefsky name began to appear in immigration records and census data in these new countries. Among the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was Mikhail Palefsky (1885-1962), who arrived in New York from Russia in 1906 and worked as a baker.
Another notable figure was Lev Palefsky (1902-1983), a Russian-born American mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and number theory. He taught at various prestigious universities, including the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley.
As the Palefsky name continued to spread globally, it has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, though its origins can be traced back to the traditional bread-baking culture of Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palefsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Palefsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Palefsky 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 Palefsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 100
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palefsky
Palefsky 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,352 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-8 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,786 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 14,352 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 7,786 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 Palefsky 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 | #143,149 | #150,935 | -5.4% |
| Count | 116 | 108 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palefsky bearers went from 116 to 108 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 7,786 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #150,935.
FAQ
Palefsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palefsky?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Palefsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Palefsky?
Palefsky ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Palefsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Palefsky.
Has Palefsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palefsky went from 116 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Palefsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palefsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Palefsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palefsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Palefsky (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 Palefsky mean?
A surname derived from the Russian term for "pale-faced" or a nickname for someone with a sallow complexion. 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 Palefsky (0.04 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 common is the surname Palefsky?
Want to know how many people are called Palefsky? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.