Find out how popular the last name Pau is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pau.

Pau, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pau in America

Pau is the 28100th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pau surname appeared 852 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pau to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pau

The surname "Pau" is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is derived from the Basque word "pau," which means "peace" or "calm." The name is thought to have first appeared in the 11th or 12th century, during the height of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Basque town of Bayonne, where a person named Juan de Pau is mentioned. The name is also found in various medieval records from the region, such as land deeds and municipal documents.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the "Codex de Roda," an important historical document from the Kingdom of Aragon. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname Pau had migrated from the Basque Country to other parts of Spain by that time.

The name may also be related to various place names in the Basque region, such as the town of Pau in southwestern France. This town, located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, was once the capital of the historic province of Béarn and is known for its well-preserved medieval architecture.

Among notable individuals with the surname Pau throughout history are:

1. Gregorio Pau (1540-1589), a Spanish botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plants in the Mediterranean region.

2. Pedro Pau (1564-1622), a Spanish architect and sculptor who worked on several important projects in Valencia and other parts of eastern Spain.

3. Blaise de Pau (1670-1736), a French lawyer and historian who wrote extensively about the history and customs of the Béarn region.

4. Juan Pau Rigalt (1778-1845), a Spanish painter and engraver who was active in Barcelona during the early 19th century.

5. Gabriel Pau (1861-1919), a Spanish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of the Balearic Islands and other parts of the Mediterranean.

The surname Pau has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting its origins in the Basque region and its subsequent spread across Spain, France, and other parts of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pau

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pau.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pau was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pau has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pau was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pau, please contact us.

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