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

Paolo, 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 Paolo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paolo in America

Paolo is the 47006th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paolo surname appeared 452 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Paolo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paolo 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 Paolo

The surname PAOLO is of Italian origin, deriving from the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble." This name gained popularity during the early Christian era, as it was borne by the apostle Paul, who played a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname PAOLO can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Veneto. It is believed that the name may have initially been adopted by individuals who either lived near or were associated with a church dedicated to St. Paul.

In the 13th century, the surname PAOLO appeared in the Florentine Codex, a historical manuscript detailing the genealogies of prominent Florentine families. One notable figure from this period was Paolo da Vinci (1397-1499), a notary and the great-grandfather of the renowned Renaissance polymath, Leonardo da Vinci.

During the Renaissance, the name PAOLO gained further prominence with the rise of several influential figures. Paolo Sarpi (1552-1623), a Venetian scholar and theologian, played a crucial role in the Counter-Reformation and the Venetian Interdict controversy. Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), a celebrated Venetian painter, is renowned for his monumental works and his mastery of color and composition.

In the field of music, the name PAOLO is associated with the Italian composer Paolo Agostini (1593-1629), who contributed to the development of the early Baroque style and worked with renowned composers such as Claudio Monteverdi.

Another notable figure was Paolo Mattia Doria (1667-1737), a Genoese nobleman and admiral who played a crucial role in the War of the Spanish Succession, earning him the title of "Knight of the Golden Fleece."

The surname PAOLO has also been associated with prominent figures in more recent history, such as Paolo Sarpi (1552-1623), a Venetian scholar and theologian, and Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), a celebrated Venetian painter renowned for his monumental works and mastery of color and composition.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paolo

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

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

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

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