2000
#54,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Paluck
A Slavic surname derived from the word "palka" meaning stick or staff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 364 Americans carry the last name Paluck. That puts it at #67,188 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 941,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paluck 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
364
1 in 941,633
Census rank
#67,188
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
317
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 317 bearers of the surname Paluck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67188th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paluck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paluck
The surname PALUCK is of Polish origin, with roots tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Polish word "paluch," which means "thumb" or "big toe." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a distinctive thumb or toe.
The earliest known record of the PALUCK surname can be found in the parish records of the village of Wysokie Mazowieckie, located in the Masovian Voivodeship of central Poland. The entry, dated 1587, mentions a certain Jan Paluck, who was a landowner in the area.
In the 17th century, the PALUCK name appears in various historical documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable mention is in the court records of the city of Lublin, where a merchant named Maciej Paluck is listed as a participant in a legal dispute over trade rights in 1629.
During the 18th century, the PALUCK family spread across various regions of Poland, with several members gaining prominence in their local communities. One such individual was Tomasz Paluck (1712-1789), a respected scholar and philosopher who taught at the University of Krakow.
As Poland underwent a series of partitions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many PALUCK families found themselves living in territories controlled by different empires, including Russia, Prussia, and Austria-Hungary. This led to variations in the spelling of the surname, such as Palutsch or Palutschek.
In the 19th century, the PALUCK name gained recognition through the achievements of Józef Paluck (1838-1912), a renowned Polish painter known for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in several museums across Europe, including the National Museum in Warsaw.
Another notable bearer of the PALUCK surname was Maria Paluck (1876-1945), a Polish writer and activist who fought for women's rights and education. She was a prominent figure in the suffrage movement and published several novels and essays advocating for gender equality.
As the 20th century unfolded, the PALUCK name continued to be represented across various fields, including science, politics, and the arts. One example is Stanisław Paluck (1904-1987), a Polish chemist who made significant contributions to the study of organic compounds and held several patents for his inventions.
Overall, the surname PALUCK has a rich and diverse history, with its origins rooted in the Polish language and culture. While the name may have started as a simple nickname, it has evolved to encompass a wide range of notable individuals and achievements throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paluck
Among Census respondents with the surname Paluck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paluck 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 Paluck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 291
- Two or more races4.1% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paluck
Paluck 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
#59,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 342
-11 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 4,528 places
2020
#67,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317
-25 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 8,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,643 | 353 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,171 | 342 | 0.12 | -11 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 4,528 places |
| 2020 | #67,188 | 317 | 0.11 | -25 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 8,017 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 Paluck 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 | #59,171 | #67,188 | -13.5% |
| Count | 342 | 317 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paluck bearers went from 342 to 317 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 8,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,171 to #67,188.
FAQ
Paluck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paluck?
Name Census estimates that about 364 living Americans carry the surname Paluck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 941,633 residents.
How common is Paluck?
Paluck ranks #67,188 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 317 people with the surname Paluck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Paluck.
Has Paluck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paluck went from 342 recorded bearers to 317. That is a decrease of 25 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,171 to #67,188.
What does the Census say about the background of Paluck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paluck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Paluck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (291 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paluck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Paluck (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 Paluck mean?
A Slavic surname derived from the word "palka" meaning stick or staff. 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 Paluck (0.11 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 share the surname Paluck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.