2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Paterna
A surname indicating a place of origin, possibly related to the city of Paterna in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Paterna. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paterna 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Paterna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paterna, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paterna
The surname Paterna has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "paterna," which means "paternal" or "of the father," suggesting a connection to familial lineage or inheritance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Paterna surname can be found in the medieval records of Valencia, where it was associated with a prominent family that held significant land and power in the region. The name may have originated from the town of Paterna, located near Valencia, or from a family that settled in this area.
During the 15th century, the Paterna surname gained further prominence when Juan Paterna, a nobleman from Valencia, played a crucial role in the conquest of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. His military exploits and loyalty to the Spanish crown earned him recognition and titles, further cementing the Paterna name in the annals of Spanish history.
In the 16th century, the Paterna family expanded their influence, with several members holding key positions in the Spanish government and the Catholic Church. One notable figure was Cardinal Juan Paterna de Aragón (1490-1560), a highly respected theologian and diplomat who served as the ambassador of Spain to the Vatican.
As the Spanish empire expanded across the Americas, the Paterna surname traveled with the conquistadors and settlers. In the 17th century, Don Pedro Paterna (1620-1689) became a prominent landowner and cattle rancher in Argentina, establishing a dynasty that would continue to shape the region's economy for generations.
Another distinguished individual bearing the Paterna name was María Paterna de Ayala (1670-1744), a renowned writer and poet from Spain. Her works, which explored themes of love, religion, and societal norms, garnered her recognition as one of the most influential female authors of the Spanish Golden Age.
Over the centuries, the Paterna surname has spread to various parts of the world, carried by Spanish migrants and their descendants. While its origins can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, the name has become a part of the cultural tapestry of many nations, reflecting the far-reaching impact of Spanish exploration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paterna
Among Census respondents with the surname Paterna, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Paterna 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 Paterna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paterna
Paterna 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,374 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-16 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,025 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 3,374 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 14,025 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 Paterna 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 | #140,157 | #154,182 | -10.0% |
| Count | 119 | 103 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paterna bearers went from 119 to 103 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 14,025 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #154,182.
FAQ
Paterna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paterna?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Paterna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Paterna?
Paterna ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Paterna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Paterna.
Has Paterna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paterna went from 119 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Paterna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paterna, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Paterna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paterna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Paterna (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 Paterna mean?
A surname indicating a place of origin, possibly related to the city of Paterna in Spain. 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 Paterna (0.03 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 are called Paterna?
Want to know how many people are called Paterna? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.