2000
#13,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,059
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Patnode
A French-origin surname derived from "Patenaude," referring to a gathering place or public square in a village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,425 Americans carry the last name Patnode. That puts it at #13,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patnode 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
2.4K
1 in 141,342
Census rank
#13,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,115 bearers of the surname Patnode in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patnode, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patnode
The surname Patnode has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, either "Patney" or "Patney Bridge" in Wiltshire. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "pæþ" meaning path, and "eg" meaning island or low-lying meadow.
One of the earliest known references to the surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a Richard de Pateneye is listed as residing in Wiltshire. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Feet of Fines, with spellings like Pateneye, Patney, and Patnay.
In the 16th century, the surname is found in the parish records of Wiltshire, with individuals like John Patnode (born around 1520) and William Patnode (born around 1545) being listed. During this time, the spelling of the name began to stabilize to its current form, Patnode.
Notable individuals with the surname Patnode include Sir Thomas Patnode (1602-1678), a wealthy landowner and member of the English gentry, and Edward Patnode (1712-1783), an early settler in colonial America who established a homestead in what is now Pennsylvania.
Other individuals of note include:
1. Richard Patnode (1785-1862), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Elizabeth Patnode (1820-1892), an American educator and advocate for women's rights.
3. William Patnode (1845-1911), a Canadian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
4. John Patnode (1872-1945), a British architect known for his work in designing churches and public buildings.
5. Mary Patnode (1901-1983), an American novelist and short story writer.
While the surname Patnode is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with its roots firmly planted in the English countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patnode
Among Census respondents with the surname Patnode, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Patnode 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 Patnode surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,927
- Two or more races3.8% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patnode
Patnode 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
#14,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
+84 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 514 places
2020
#13,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,115
-28 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,536 | 2,059 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,050 | 2,143 | 0.73 | +84 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 514 places |
| 2020 | #13,717 | 2,115 | 0.71 | -28 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 333 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 Patnode 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 | #14,050 | #13,717 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,143 | 2,115 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.71 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patnode bearers went from 2,143 to 2,115 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 333 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,050 to #13,717.
FAQ
Patnode surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patnode?
Name Census estimates that about 2,425 living Americans carry the surname Patnode. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,342 residents.
How common is Patnode?
Patnode ranks #13,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,115 people with the surname Patnode. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Patnode.
Has Patnode become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patnode went from 2,143 recorded bearers to 2,115. That is a decrease of 28 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,050 to #13,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Patnode?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patnode, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Patnode in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,927 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patnode appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Patnode (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 Patnode mean?
A French-origin surname derived from "Patenaude," referring to a gathering place or public square in a village. 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 Patnode (0.71 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 common is the surname Patnode?
If you just want to know how many people are called Patnode, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.