2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pashayan
A surname of Armenian origin, possibly derived from the root word "pasha" meaning shepherd or herdsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Pashayan. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pashayan 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Pashayan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pashayan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pashayan
The surname Pashayan originated from Armenia, a country located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Its roots can be traced back to the 13th century, during the height of the Cilician Armenian Kingdom. The name is believed to be derived from the Armenian word "pasharan," which means "protector" or "guardian."
In the ancient Armenian manuscripts and historical records, the name appears in various spellings, such as Pashayan, Pashaian, and Pashian. These variations likely emerged due to the influence of different regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
One of the earliest known references to the Pashayan name can be found in the chronicles of the Kirakos Gandzaketsi, a 13th-century Armenian historian and writer. He mentions a prominent Armenian noble family bearing the Pashayan surname, who played a significant role in the defense of the Cilician Armenian Kingdom against the Seljuk Turks.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pashayan was associated with several notable figures in Armenian history. One such individual was Toros Pashayan, a skilled military commander who fought alongside King Levon II in the Battle of Homs in 1281. Another notable bearer of the name was Vahram Pashayan, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in the 14th century and authored several influential works on Armenian philosophy and theology.
In the 16th century, the Pashayan family gained prominence in the city of New Julfa, a thriving Armenian community in Persia (modern-day Iran). Khachatur Pashayan, born in 1540, was a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and schools in New Julfa.
As the Armenian diaspora spread across the globe, the Pashayan surname traveled with them. In the 19th century, Hovhannes Pashayan (1813-1891) was a prominent Armenian writer and educator who played a crucial role in the cultural renaissance of the Armenian community in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
Another notable figure was Arshak Pashayan (1872-1937), an Armenian revolutionary and one of the founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun). He dedicated his life to the pursuit of Armenian independence and played a pivotal role in the Armenian national liberation movement.
Throughout its history, the Pashayan surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, writers, and political leaders, all of whom have contributed to the rich cultural heritage of the Armenian people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pashayan
Among Census respondents with the surname Pashayan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pashayan 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 Pashayan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pashayan
Pashayan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,457 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 Pashayan 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 | #151,532 | #152,989 | -1.0% |
| Count | 108 | 105 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pashayan bearers went from 108 to 105 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,989.
FAQ
Pashayan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pashayan?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Pashayan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Pashayan?
Pashayan ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Pashayan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pashayan.
Has Pashayan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pashayan went from 108 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Pashayan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pashayan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Pashayan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pashayan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Black (2.9%). 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 Pashayan (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 Pashayan mean?
A surname of Armenian origin, possibly derived from the root word "pasha" meaning shepherd or herdsman. 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 Pashayan (0.04 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 have the last name Pashayan?
See how many people have the last name Pashayan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.