2010
#45,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 473
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Rare Last name
Paudel
A surname of Nepali origin meaning "inhabitant of a distant place".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,991 Americans carry the last name Paudel. That puts it at #16,133 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 172,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paudel 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
2.0K
1 in 172,152
Census rank
#16,133
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,736 bearers of the surname Paudel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16133rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paudel, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paudel
The surname Paudel has its origins in Nepal, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Nepali word 'paudel,' which means a person who tends to cattle or a cowherd. The name was primarily found in the rural areas of Nepal, particularly in the hilly regions where cattle rearing was a common occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paudel can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Sanskrit manuscript commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The manuscript mentions a village called Paudel Gaon, which is believed to have been named after the Paudel community residing in the area.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in several historical documents related to the unification of Nepal by King Prithvi Narayan Shah. During this period, many Paudel families were granted land and titles for their support and loyalty to the Shah dynasty.
Prominent figures with the surname Paudel include Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814-1868), a noted Nepali poet and writer who is considered the first poet laureate of Nepal. His literary works, such as the translation of the Ramayana into Nepali, played a crucial role in the development of Nepali literature.
Another notable individual was Dharma Bhakta Mathema Paudel (1801-1878), a Nepali statesman and prime minister during the Rana regime. He is credited with introducing several administrative reforms and modernizing the Nepali legal system.
In the 20th century, Tulsi Lal Paudel (1912-1997) was a renowned Nepali diplomat and ambassador who served as the Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations from 1958 to 1970.
Govinda Raj Paudel (1925-2021) was a prominent Nepali politician and member of the Nepali Congress party. He served as the Minister of Finance and played a significant role in the democratic movement in Nepal.
Lastly, Ramesh Paudel (born 1954) is a contemporary Nepali writer and journalist known for his novels and short stories that explore social and political issues in Nepal.
While the surname Paudel has its roots in Nepal, it has now spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the name's origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of Nepal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paudel
Among Census respondents with the surname Paudel, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Paudel 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 Paudel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.5% · 1,676
- White1.4% · 24
- Two or more races1.1% · 19
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paudel
Paudel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#16,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,736
+1,263 bearers (+267.0%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 29,120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #45,253 | 473 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #16,133 | 1,736 | 0.58 | +1,263 bearers (+267.0%) | Up 29,120 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 Paudel 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 | #45,253 | #16,133 | 64.3% |
| Count | 473 | 1,736 | 267.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.58 | 263.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paudel bearers went from 473 to 1,736 (+267.0% change). The surname moved up 29,120 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,253 to #16,133.
FAQ
Paudel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paudel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,991 living Americans carry the surname Paudel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 172,152 residents.
How common is Paudel?
Paudel ranks #16,133 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,736 people with the surname Paudel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,991), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Paudel.
Has Paudel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paudel went from 473 recorded bearers to 1,736. That is an increase of 1,263 (+267.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #45,253 to #16,133.
What does the Census say about the background of Paudel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paudel, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Paudel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (1,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paudel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.5%), White (1.4%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Paudel (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 Paudel mean?
A surname of Nepali origin meaning "inhabitant of a distant place". 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 Paudel (0.58 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 last name Paudel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Paudel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.