2000
#7,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,900
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Pastore
An Italian occupational surname referring to a shepherd or someone who tends to sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,308 Americans carry the last name Pastore. That puts it at #8,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pastore 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pastore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,562
Census rank
#8,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,757 bearers of the surname Pastore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pastore
The surname Pastore has its origins in Italy, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian word "pastore," meaning "shepherd" or "herdsman." The name was likely given to someone whose occupation involved tending to flocks of sheep or cattle.
In the medieval period, many Italians were identified by their occupations, and the surname Pastore emerged as a way to distinguish those who worked as shepherds. The name was particularly common in regions known for pastoral activities, such as Abruzzo, Campania, and Calabria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pastore can be found in a document from the city of Salerno, dated 1292, which mentions a certain "Giovanni Pastore." This suggests that the name was well-established in southern Italy by the late 13th century.
During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Pastore. One example is the Italian painter and architect Giulio Pastore, who lived from 1554 to 1622 and is known for his contributions to the Baroque style in Palermo, Sicily.
Another prominent figure was the Roman Catholic prelate Matteo Pastore, who served as the Bishop of Oppido Mamertina from 1639 to 1642. He played an important role in the religious life of Calabria during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Pastore family settled in the town of Vietri sul Mare, near Salerno. One of the most famous members of this lineage was the painter Francesco Pastore, born in 1749, whose works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout the Amalfi Coast region.
As the surname spread beyond its original geographic origins, it underwent some variations in spelling. For instance, in Sicily, the name was sometimes written as "Pastori," while in the Veneto region, it appeared as "Pastro."
Other notable individuals with the surname Pastore include the Italian politician and lawyer Giuseppe Pastore (1892-1967), who served as the President of the Italian Senate from 1959 to 1967, and the American baseball player Woody Pastore (1921-1995), who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1940s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pastore
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pastore 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 Pastore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,427
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 216
- Two or more races2.0% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pastore
Pastore 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
#8,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,112
+212 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#8,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,757
-355 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,871 | 3,900 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,049 | 4,112 | 1.39 | +212 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #8,438 | 3,757 | 1.26 | -355 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 389 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 Pastore 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 | #8,049 | #8,438 | -4.8% |
| Count | 4,112 | 3,757 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.26 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pastore bearers went from 4,112 to 3,757 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 389 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,049 to #8,438.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pastore
FAQ
Pastore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pastore?
Name Census estimates that about 4,308 living Americans carry the surname Pastore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,562 residents.
How common is Pastore?
Pastore ranks #8,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,757 people with the surname Pastore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Pastore.
Has Pastore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pastore went from 4,112 recorded bearers to 3,757. That is a decrease of 355 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,049 to #8,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Pastore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Pastore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,427 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pastore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Pastore (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 Pastore mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a shepherd or someone who tends to sheep. 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 Pastore (1.26 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 surname Pastore?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.