2000
#11,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Pascale
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Paschalis, meaning "relating to Easter" or "born on Easter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,964 Americans carry the last name Pascale. That puts it at #11,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,639 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pascale 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
3.0K
1 in 115,639
Census rank
#11,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,585 bearers of the surname Pascale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascale, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pascale
The surname Pascale originated in Italy, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name Paschalius, which itself stems from the Greek word "Pascha," meaning "Easter." The name likely refers to someone who was born or baptized around the Easter holiday.
In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled "Pascale" or "Pascali." It was quite common in various regions of Italy, particularly in the south, such as Sicily and Calabria. The name also spread to other parts of Europe, including France and Spain, where it took on variations like "Pascal" and "Pascual."
One of the earliest known references to the name Pascale can be found in a 13th-century Sicilian document, which mentions a landowner named Girolamo Pascale. In the 14th century, there are records of a prominent Florentine family called the Pascali, who were involved in the textile trade.
During the Renaissance period, the name became associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, and philosopher, who made significant contributions to the development of modern science and mathematics.
Another notable figure was Antonio Pascale (1542-1624), an Italian painter and architect who worked in Naples. He is best known for his frescoes in the Church of San Gregorio Armeno and the Chapel of the Princes in the Basilica of Santa Maria la Nova.
In the 18th century, Gennaro Pascale (1718-1779) was an Italian composer and violinist who worked in Naples and was known for his operas and instrumental works.
During the 19th century, Giuseppe Pascale (1822-1893) was an Italian sculptor who worked in Naples and created numerous public monuments and religious sculptures.
In the early 20th century, Vincenzo Pascale (1871-1935) was an Italian painter and sculptor who specialized in portraiture and was known for his works depicting scenes from Neapolitan life.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Pascale throughout history, demonstrating its rich heritage and cultural significance in various regions of Italy and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pascale
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascale, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pascale 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 Pascale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 2,308
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 169
- Two or more races2.4% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pascale
Pascale 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
#11,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,691
+63 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 555 places
2020
#11,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,585
-106 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,093 | 2,628 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,648 | 2,691 | 0.91 | +63 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 555 places |
| 2020 | #11,619 | 2,585 | 0.86 | -106 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 29 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 Pascale 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 | #11,648 | #11,619 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,691 | 2,585 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.86 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pascale bearers went from 2,691 to 2,585 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,648 to #11,619.
FAQ
Pascale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pascale?
Name Census estimates that about 2,964 living Americans carry the surname Pascale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,639 residents.
How common is Pascale?
Pascale ranks #11,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,585 people with the surname Pascale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,964), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Pascale.
Has Pascale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pascale went from 2,691 recorded bearers to 2,585. That is a decrease of 106 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,648 to #11,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Pascale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascale, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Pascale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,308 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pascale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Pascale (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 Pascale mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Paschalis, meaning "relating to Easter" or "born on Easter." 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 Pascale (0.86 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 Pascale?
If you just want to know how many people are called Pascale, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.