2000
#401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.78
Uncommon Last name
Paul
An English surname derived from the Latin "Paulus," meaning "small" or "humble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 91,849 Americans carry the last name Paul. That puts it at #396 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,732 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paul 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 Paul with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
92K
1 in 3,732
Census rank
#396
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
80K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 80,097 bearers of the surname Paul in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 396th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paul, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paul
The surname PAUL has its origins in the Latin name Paulus, which was a Roman family name derived from the word "paulus," meaning "small" or "humble." The name likely originated in Ancient Rome during the early days of the Roman Republic or the later Roman Empire.
PAUL as a surname first appeared in various regions of Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas with strong Roman influence, such as Italy, France, and parts of Germany. The name was introduced to these regions through the spread of Christianity and the adoption of Latin names by early converts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PAUL can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book lists several individuals with the surname PAUL or variations like Paulus or Paulinus, suggesting the name's presence in England by the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, the surname PAUL was often associated with clergymen or members of religious orders, as many adopted the name in honor of the apostle Paul from the Bible. One notable example is Saint Paul of the Cross (Giovanni Battista Pauletti), an Italian mystic and founder of the Passionist Congregation, born in 1694 and died in 1775.
In the Renaissance era, the surname PAUL gained prominence in various European countries. One famous bearer was the Dutch painter Paulus Potter (1625-1654), known for his masterful depictions of animals and landscapes.
In England, the surname PAUL has a long history, with notable figures such as Sir George Paul (1563-1612), a member of Parliament and landowner, and Samuel Paul (1672-1737), a prominent Quaker writer and preacher.
Other notable individuals with the surname PAUL include the French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), the Austrian-American composer and conductor Rudolf Paul (1905-1981), and the American civil rights leader and reformer John Paul (1839-1923), who advocated for the rights of African Americans and Native Americans.
The surname PAUL has been carried by many notable individuals throughout history, reflecting its widespread presence and enduring legacy across various cultures and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paul
Among Census respondents with the surname Paul, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Paul 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 Paul surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.5% · 48,495
- Black or African American21.6% · 17,338
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.0% · 7,186
- Two or more races3.6% · 2,850
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,810
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 1,418
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paul
Paul 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
#415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,256
+6,008 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 26.53
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,097
+1,841 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 26.80
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #401 | 72,248 | 26.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #415 | 78,256 | 26.53 | +6,008 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #396 | 80,097 | 26.80 | +1,841 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 19 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 Paul 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 | #415 | #396 | 4.6% |
| Count | 78,256 | 80,097 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 26.53 | 26.80 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paul bearers went from 78,256 to 80,097 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #415 to #396.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Paul
FAQ
Paul surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paul?
Name Census estimates that about 91,849 living Americans carry the surname Paul. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,732 residents.
How common is Paul?
Paul ranks #396 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 27 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 80,097 people with the surname Paul. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (91,849), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 27 of them to have the surname Paul.
Has Paul become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paul went from 78,256 recorded bearers to 80,097. That is an increase of 1,841 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #415 to #396.
What does the Census say about the background of Paul?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paul, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%). 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 Paul in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.5% (48,495 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paul appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.5%), Black (21.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%). 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 Paul (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 Paul mean?
An English surname derived from the Latin "Paulus," meaning "small" or "humble." 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 Paul (26.80 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 share the surname Paul?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.