2000
#16,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Paolini
Italian surname derived from the given name Paolo, meaning "small" or "humble".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,844 Americans carry the last name Paolini. That puts it at #17,226 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 185,875 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paolini 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
1.8K
1 in 185,875
Census rank
#17,226
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,608 bearers of the surname Paolini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17226th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paolini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paolini
Among Census respondents with the surname Paolini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Paolini 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 Paolini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 1,440
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 112
- Two or more races2.7% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paolini
Paolini 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
#16,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,721
+67 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 552 places
2020
#17,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,608
-113 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,092 | 1,654 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,644 | 1,721 | 0.58 | +67 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 552 places |
| 2020 | #17,226 | 1,608 | 0.54 | -113 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 582 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 Paolini 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 | #16,644 | #17,226 | -3.5% |
| Count | 1,721 | 1,608 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.54 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paolini bearers went from 1,721 to 1,608 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 582 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,644 to #17,226.
FAQ
Paolini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paolini?
Name Census estimates that about 1,844 living Americans carry the surname Paolini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 185,875 residents.
How common is Paolini?
Paolini ranks #17,226 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,608 people with the surname Paolini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Paolini.
Has Paolini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paolini went from 1,721 recorded bearers to 1,608. That is a decrease of 113 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,644 to #17,226.
What does the Census say about the background of Paolini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paolini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Paolini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (1,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paolini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Paolini (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 Paolini mean?
Italian surname derived from the given name Paolo, meaning "small" or "humble". 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 Paolini (0.54 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 Americans have the surname Paolini?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.