2000
#14,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,878
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Paone
An Italian surname derived from the word "pavone" meaning "peacock".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,086 Americans carry the last name Paone. That puts it at #15,502 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paone 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
2.1K
1 in 164,312
Census rank
#15,502
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,819 bearers of the surname Paone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15502nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paone, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paone
The surname Paone originated in Italy and has its roots in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pavone," which means peacock. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who kept or traded in peacocks or had a particular connection to these colorful birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Paone surname can be found in the 13th century, where it appeared in historical documents from the region of Tuscany. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Pavone" or "Pavoni," reflecting its close ties to the Italian word for peacock.
In the 14th century, the name began to spread beyond Tuscany and could be found in records from other parts of Italy, such as Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. This was a period when surnames were becoming more widespread and hereditary, suggesting that the Paone family had established itself as a distinct lineage.
Notable individuals with the Paone surname include Giovanni Battista Paone (1554-1637), a renowned Italian painter from Genoa who was known for his religious works and portraits. Paone's paintings can still be found in churches and museums throughout Italy.
Another historical figure was Girolamo Paone (1675-1738), a Baroque architect from Naples who designed several churches and palaces in the city, including the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Sanità and the Palazzo Mastrilli.
In the 19th century, Antonio Paone (1820-1892) was a respected Italian sculptor who created numerous works depicting religious and mythological figures. Many of his sculptures can be found in museums and public spaces throughout Italy.
The Paone name also has connections to certain place names in Italy. For instance, there is a town called Pavone Canavese in the region of Piedmont, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that area.
Throughout its history, the Paone surname has maintained a strong presence in Italy, particularly in regions like Tuscany, Lombardy, and Campania. While variations in spelling and pronunciation have occurred over time, the name's connection to the peacock and its Italian roots have remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paone
Among Census respondents with the surname Paone, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Paone 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 Paone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,692
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 76
- Two or more races1.9% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paone
Paone 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
#16,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,776
-102 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,700 places
2020
#15,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,819
+43 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,550 | 1,878 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,250 | 1,776 | 0.60 | -102 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 1,700 places |
| 2020 | #15,502 | 1,819 | 0.61 | +43 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 748 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 Paone 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 | #16,250 | #15,502 | 4.6% |
| Count | 1,776 | 1,819 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.61 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paone bearers went from 1,776 to 1,819 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 748 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,250 to #15,502.
FAQ
Paone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paone?
Name Census estimates that about 2,086 living Americans carry the surname Paone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,312 residents.
How common is Paone?
Paone ranks #15,502 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,819 people with the surname Paone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Paone.
Has Paone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paone went from 1,776 recorded bearers to 1,819. That is an increase of 43 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,250 to #15,502.
What does the Census say about the background of Paone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paone, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Paone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (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 Paone (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 Paone mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "pavone" meaning "peacock". 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 Paone (0.61 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 Paone?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Paone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.