2000
#8,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Paugh
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Fathaigh, meaning "descendant of Fathaigh" (derived from "fothadh," meaning "foundation").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,815 Americans carry the last name Paugh. That puts it at #9,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paugh 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
3.8K
1 in 89,844
Census rank
#9,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,327 bearers of the surname Paugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paugh
The surname PAUGH is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "pah," which means "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a small body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PAUGH can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dated around the 13th century. It mentions a person named "Johannes Pah," which is likely an early variation of the spelling.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family with the surname PAUGH was documented as living in the area. This suggests that the name had spread from its original location and become more widely used.
During the 15th century, a notable individual named Hans PAUGH (1420-1489) was a prominent merchant and guild master in the city of Augsburg. His success and influence likely contributed to the recognition and spread of the surname in the region.
In the 16th century, the PAUGH name appears in the records of the University of Heidelberg, where a student named Johann PAUGH (1525-1590) was enrolled and later became a respected scholar and theologian.
Another significant figure with the surname PAUGH was Matthias PAUGH (1670-1741), a German composer and organist who was widely acclaimed for his contributions to the Baroque music tradition.
Throughout the centuries, the spelling of the name underwent various changes, including Pah, Pahe, Pauhe, and Paugh, before settling on the modern form of PAUGH. Additionally, the name was sometimes associated with certain place names, such as Paughdorf or Paughbach, which may have been derived from the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Paugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Paugh 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 Paugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 3,045
- Two or more races4.1% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- Black or African American0.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paugh
Paugh 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
#9,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,626
+52 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 527 places
2020
#9,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,327
-299 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,490 | 3,574 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,017 | 3,626 | 1.23 | +52 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 527 places |
| 2020 | #9,380 | 3,327 | 1.11 | -299 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 363 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 Paugh 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 | #9,017 | #9,380 | -4.0% |
| Count | 3,626 | 3,327 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.11 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paugh bearers went from 3,626 to 3,327 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,017 to #9,380.
FAQ
Paugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paugh?
Name Census estimates that about 3,815 living Americans carry the surname Paugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,844 residents.
How common is Paugh?
Paugh ranks #9,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,327 people with the surname Paugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Paugh.
Has Paugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paugh went from 3,626 recorded bearers to 3,327. That is a decrease of 299 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,017 to #9,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Paugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Paugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (3,045 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Paugh (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 Paugh mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Fathaigh, meaning "descendant of Fathaigh" (derived from "fothadh," meaning "foundation"). 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 Paugh (1.11 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 Paugh?
Want to know how many people have the last name Paugh? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.