2000
#5,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,057
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Paschal
Derived from the Latin word "paschalis," meaning "relating to Easter," likely referring to someone born or baptized during Eastertide.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,400 Americans carry the last name Paschal. That puts it at #5,941 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paschal 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
6.4K
1 in 53,555
Census rank
#5,941
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,581 bearers of the surname Paschal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5941st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paschal, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paschal
The surname Paschal finds its origins in France and is derived from the Old French word "paschal" meaning "relating to Easter." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone born or baptized around Easter time.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 12th century, with the name appearing in various medieval records and documents from the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. One notable early reference is found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval cartulary from the 12th century, which mentions a "Robertus Paschal."
In the 13th century, the name Paschal is recorded in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like survey of landowners in England conducted between 1274 and 1275. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname had migrated from France to England by this time.
Over the centuries, the name has been subject to various spellings, including Paschal, Pascal, and Paschall. These variations can be found in historical records throughout Europe, particularly in France, England, and later in the American colonies.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname was Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and theologian. His influential work in probability theory, geometry, and the development of the mechanical calculator have cemented his place in history.
Another prominent individual was Jean Paschal (1550-1619), a French jurist and legal scholar who served as the King's Advocate in the Parlement of Paris. His legal expertise and contributions to French jurisprudence were widely recognized during his lifetime.
In England, Robert Paschall (1584-1658) was a notable Quaker minister and writer from Gloucestershire. His works, including "A Brief Account of the Travels of Robert Paschall," provide insights into the early Quaker movement and religious dissent in 17th century England.
Moving to the Americas, we find John Paschal (1644-1719), an early settler in Virginia who served as a Justice of the Peace and was involved in the establishment of several churches in the colony.
Finally, George Washington Paschal (1812-1878) was a notable American jurist and legal scholar from Texas. He served as a judge on the Texas Supreme Court and authored several influential legal texts, including "Annotated Digest of the Laws of Texas."
Throughout its history, the surname Paschal has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from intellectuals and scholars to religious figures and early American settlers, reflecting the rich tapestry of human experience associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paschal
Among Census respondents with the surname Paschal, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paschal 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 Paschal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.5% · 3,487
- Black or African American28.9% · 1,613
- Two or more races4.8% · 266
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paschal
Paschal 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
#5,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,075
+18 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#5,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,581
-494 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 232 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,290 | 6,057 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,709 | 6,075 | 2.06 | +18 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #5,941 | 5,581 | 1.87 | -494 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 232 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 Paschal 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 | #5,709 | #5,941 | -4.1% |
| Count | 6,075 | 5,581 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 1.87 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paschal bearers went from 6,075 to 5,581 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 232 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,709 to #5,941.
FAQ
Paschal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paschal?
Name Census estimates that about 6,400 living Americans carry the surname Paschal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,555 residents.
How common is Paschal?
Paschal ranks #5,941 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,581 people with the surname Paschal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,400), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Paschal.
Has Paschal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paschal went from 6,075 recorded bearers to 5,581. That is a decrease of 494 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,709 to #5,941.
What does the Census say about the background of Paschal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paschal, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Paschal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.5% (3,487 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paschal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.5%), Black (28.9%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Paschal (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 Paschal mean?
Derived from the Latin word "paschalis," meaning "relating to Easter," likely referring to someone born or baptized during Eastertide. 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 Paschal (1.87 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 Americans have the surname Paschal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.