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

Paolini, 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 Paolini surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paolini in America

Paolini is the 16644th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paolini surname appeared 1,721 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 Paolini.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paolini 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 Paolini

The surname Paolini is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period in regions such as Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. It is derived from the Italian personal name "Paolo," which in turn comes from the Latin name "Paulus," meaning "small" or "humble."

Historically, the Paolini surname is often associated with the patronymic naming system, where it was used to denote "son of Paolo" or "descendant of Paolo." This naming convention was prevalent in Italy during the Middle Ages and early Renaissance period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Paolini name can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century manuscript that documents the history and customs of the Aztec people. The manuscript mentions a Franciscan friar named Bernardino Paolini, who was part of the mission to evangelize the indigenous populations of New Spain (present-day Mexico) in the 16th century.

Another notable figure bearing the Paolini surname was Giambattista Paolini (1616-1680), an Italian painter and etcher from Florence. He is renowned for his religious paintings and etchings, many of which can be found in churches and galleries throughout Italy.

In the 18th century, Francesco Paolini (1718-1789) was a renowned Italian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Rome, including the Church of Sant'Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine.

Moving into the 19th century, Giuseppe Paolini (1828-1909) was an Italian sculptor and painter from Genoa. He is best known for his marble sculptures and for being a member of the prestigious Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti.

In more recent history, Christopher Paolini (born 1983) is an American author best known for his fantasy novel series "The Inheritance Cycle," which includes the books "Eragon," "Eldest," "Brisingr," and "Inheritance." His debut novel "Eragon" was published when he was just 19 years old, making him one of the youngest authors of a bestselling novel series.

The Paolini surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Italy, such as the town of Paolini in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo, and the Paolini district in the city of Perugia, Umbria. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paolini

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

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

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

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