2000
#4,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.52
Rare Last name
Paterson
Son of Patrick, an anglicized form of a Scottish and Irish patronymic surname derived from the given name Patrick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,453 Americans carry the last name Paterson. That puts it at #5,191 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paterson 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 Paterson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,989
Census rank
#5,191
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,499 bearers of the surname Paterson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5191st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paterson
The surname Paterson originated in Scotland during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'pæða' meaning path or road and 'tun' meaning an enclosure or settlement, essentially translating to "the settlement by the road". The name is believed to have been first used to refer to individuals who lived near a well-traveled road or pathway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Paterson can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls documenting those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during his invasion of Scotland. The name appears as 'Patrisone', possibly referring to a person from the town of Partick near Glasgow.
In the 16th century, the surname Paterson was commonly found in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. The name was often associated with places like Patricksburn and Partickhill, both of which are derived from the same root as the surname.
One notable early bearer of the surname was William Paterson, a Scottish trader, and entrepreneur born in 1658. He was the founder of the Bank of England and played a crucial role in establishing the Darien scheme, an ill-fated attempt to establish a Scottish colony in Panama.
Another historical figure with the surname Paterson was Samuel Paterson, a Scottish mathematician, and astronomer born in 1628. He made significant contributions to the study of navigation and was appointed as the first Regius Professor of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh.
In the literary world, Norah Paterson, a Scottish poet and novelist born in 1900, gained recognition for her works such as "The Singing Close" and "The Homecoming". She was awarded the Saltire Society Book of the Year prize in 1954.
John Paterson, a Scottish engineer and inventor born in 1776, is credited with developing the first practical method for producing artificial ice. His invention, known as the Paterson Refrigerator, was widely used in the early 19th century for preserving food and cooling beverages.
The surname Paterson has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Paterson's Land in Edinburgh, which was a historic residential building dating back to the 17th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paterson
Among Census respondents with the surname Paterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paterson 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 Paterson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 5,410
- Black or African American8.1% · 527
- Two or more races3.8% · 248
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 228
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paterson
Paterson 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
#4,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,035
+226 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#5,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,499
-536 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,760 | 6,809 | 2.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,990 | 7,035 | 2.38 | +226 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #5,191 | 6,499 | 2.17 | -536 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 201 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 Paterson 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 | #4,990 | #5,191 | -4.0% |
| Count | 7,035 | 6,499 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.17 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paterson bearers went from 7,035 to 6,499 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,990 to #5,191.
FAQ
Paterson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paterson?
Name Census estimates that about 7,453 living Americans carry the surname Paterson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,989 residents.
How common is Paterson?
Paterson ranks #5,191 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 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 6,499 people with the surname Paterson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 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 Paterson.
Has Paterson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paterson went from 7,035 recorded bearers to 6,499. That is a decrease of 536 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,990 to #5,191.
What does the Census say about the background of Paterson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Paterson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (5,410 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paterson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Paterson (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 Paterson mean?
Son of Patrick, an anglicized form of a Scottish and Irish patronymic surname derived from the given name Patrick. 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 Paterson (2.17 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 Paterson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.