Pasteur
A French surname derived from the occupational term for a shepherd or one who tended livestock.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 343 Americans carry the last name Pasteur. That puts it at #67,126 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 999,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pasteur surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
343
1 in 999,284
Census rank
#67,126
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
294
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 294 bearers of the surname Pasteur in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67126th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasteur, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pasteur
The surname Pasteur originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "pastour," which means shepherd or one who tends to flocks of sheep. This occupation-based surname indicates that the earliest bearers were employed as shepherds or lived in areas where sheep herding was a common trade.
The name can be traced back to the late 12th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being a reference to a "Johannes Pasteur" in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of medieval documents from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France.
In the 13th century, variations of the name, such as "Pastour" and "Pastourel," appeared in various regional records across northern France, particularly in areas like Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France, where sheep farming was prevalent.
One notable historical figure with this surname was Louis Pasteur, the renowned French microbiologist and chemist, born in 1822 in Dole, France. His groundbreaking work on pasteurization, vaccination, and the germ theory of disease has had a lasting impact on modern medicine and science.
Another individual of note was Jean-Baptiste Pasteur, a 17th-century French painter and engraver, active in the late 1600s, known for his religious and mythological works. He was born in 1661 in Valenciennes, a city in northern France.
In the 16th century, the name Pasteur appeared in the records of the French Protestant Church, suggesting that some bearers of the name were among the early Huguenots, French Protestants who faced persecution during the religious wars of that era.
The surname Pasteur can also be found in various place names across France, such as Pasteur-Ville, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department, and Rue Pasteur, a street name found in many French cities, often named after the famous scientist Louis Pasteur.
Other notable individuals with the surname Pasteur include Claude Pasteur, a 19th-century French soldier and politician who served as a deputy in the French National Assembly, and René Pasteur, a 20th-century French writer and journalist born in 1897 in Paris.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pasteur
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasteur, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pasteur bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Pasteur surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.3%
- Black or African American43.2%
- Hispanic or Latino4.4%
- Two or more races4.1%
Year on year
2010 vs 2010 Census
How has the Pasteur surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #67,126 | #67,126 | 0.0% |
| Count | 294 | 294 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2010 Census, the number of Pasteur bearers went from 294 to 294 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, going from #67,126 to #67,126.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pasteur
FAQ
Pasteur surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Pasteur?
The surname Pasteur holds position #67,126 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 343 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Pasteur surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasteur, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.3%. The next largest groups are Black (43.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.