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

Partain, 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 Partain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Partain in America

Partain is the 8772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Partain surname appeared 3,737 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 Partain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Partain 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 Partain

The surname Partain has its origins in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "partenir," which means "to belong to" or "to be a part of." It is believed that the name was originally a descriptive surname, given to someone who belonged to a particular group, family, or community.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Église de Beauvais, a medieval cartulary from the 12th century. The name appears as "Partain" in this document, which suggests that the spelling was relatively consistent even in those early times.

During the medieval period, the Partain family was concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Picardy and Normandy. Several villages and towns in these regions contained variations of the name, such as Partenaie, Partenay, and Parthenay.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the Partain surname was Jacques Partain, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English. He was born around 1320 and was recorded as participating in several significant battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

Another prominent individual was Robert Partain, a merchant and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Rouen and is mentioned in several historical documents, including the city's tax records.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the French Protestant Church, indicating that some members of the Partain family had embraced the Protestant faith during the Reformation. One such individual was Jean Partain, a Huguenot minister who was born in 1543 and served in several parishes in Normandy.

During the 17th century, the Partain name spread beyond France as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. Notable figures from this period include Pierre Partain, a French explorer who traveled to the New World in the 1630s and is believed to have settled in what is now Quebec, Canada.

In the late 18th century, a notable figure was François Partain, a French Revolutionary who participated in the storming of the Bastille in 1789. He was born in 1765 and later served in the French Revolutionary Army.

Despite its French origins, the Partain surname has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to the name can be traced back to northern France and the regions of Picardy and Normandy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Partain

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

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

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

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