2000
#7,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,882
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Paquin
French occupational surname for a cowherd or cattle farmer, derived from Old French "pasquin" meaning "pasture".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,267 Americans carry the last name Paquin. That puts it at #8,506 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,327 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paquin 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
4.3K
1 in 80,327
Census rank
#8,506
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,721 bearers of the surname Paquin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8506th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paquin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paquin
The surname Paquin has its origins in France, where it emerged in the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "paque," which itself comes from the Latin "pascha," meaning "Easter." The name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone associated with Easter celebrations or born during that time.
In the earliest records, the surname appears with various spellings, including Pasquin, Pâquin, and Pacquin, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common in medieval times. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a document from the town of Beauvais, in northern France, dating back to the 13th century.
The Paquin name subsequently spread across different regions of France, with records indicating its presence in various parts of the country, such as Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region around Paris. Although not as widely documented as some other French surnames, the name appears in several historical records and manuscripts from the medieval and Renaissance periods.
One notable individual bearing the Paquin surname was Jean Paquin, a French fashion designer and couturier born in 1878 in Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Normandy. Paquin's fashion house, founded in Paris in 1891, gained international acclaim for its innovative designs and became one of the most prestigious couture houses of the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure with the Paquin surname was Ludger Paquin, a Canadian jurist and politician who served as a member of the Senate of Canada from 1935 to 1952. Born in 1873 in Quebec, Paquin had a distinguished legal career before his appointment to the Senate.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Paquin name dates back to the late 18th century, when Jean-Baptiste Paquin, a French immigrant, settled in Louisiana. His descendants went on to establish the Paquin family line in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the Paquin surname include Marcel Paquin, a French writer and journalist born in 1892, and Louis Paquin, a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who founded the Paquin Group of Companies in the 20th century.
While the Paquin name has its roots in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, and beyond, through migration and the dispersion of French settlers and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paquin
Among Census respondents with the surname Paquin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Paquin 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 Paquin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 3,215
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.8% · 216
- Two or more races3.6% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paquin
Paquin 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
#8,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,064
+182 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#8,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,721
-343 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 347 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,911 | 3,882 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,159 | 4,064 | 1.38 | +182 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #8,506 | 3,721 | 1.24 | -343 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 347 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 Paquin 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 | #8,159 | #8,506 | -4.3% |
| Count | 4,064 | 3,721 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.24 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paquin bearers went from 4,064 to 3,721 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 347 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,159 to #8,506.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Paquin
FAQ
Paquin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paquin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,267 living Americans carry the surname Paquin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,327 residents.
How common is Paquin?
Paquin ranks #8,506 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,721 people with the surname Paquin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,267), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Paquin.
Has Paquin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paquin went from 4,064 recorded bearers to 3,721. That is a decrease of 343 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,159 to #8,506.
What does the Census say about the background of Paquin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paquin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Paquin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (3,215 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paquin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Paquin (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 Paquin mean?
French occupational surname for a cowherd or cattle farmer, derived from Old French "pasquin" meaning "pasture". 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 Paquin (1.24 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 Paquin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.