2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Paulett
A topographic surname derived from a small village or locality name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Paulett. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paulett 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Paulett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulett, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paulett
The surname Paulett originated in France and is believed to have derived from the Old French word "paulette," which means a small cloak or cape. The name can be traced back to the early 12th century and was likely used to denote someone who wore or made these cloaks.
The earliest known record of the name Paulett appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record the landholdings and wealth of England. The entry mentions a "Robertus Paulett" as a landowner in the county of Somerset.
During the 13th century, the name Paulett began to spread across various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. Several historical records from this period mention individuals with the surname, including a William Paulett, who was a prominent landowner in Somerset in the mid-13th century.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Paulett was Sir John Paulett (c. 1249-1314), who served as a knight and military commander during the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence and was rewarded with lands in Somerset for his service.
Another prominent individual was Sir William Paulett (c. 1475-1572), who served as Lord Treasurer and Lord Privy Seal under Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Elizabeth I. He was instrumental in the dissolution of the monasteries and the establishment of the Church of England.
In the 16th century, the Paulett family became closely associated with the manor of Hinton St. George in Somerset, where they built a grand manor house known as Hinton House. Sir Amias Paulett (c. 1532-1588), a member of this family, gained notoriety as the jailer of Mary, Queen of Scots, during her imprisonment.
Other notable individuals with the surname Paulett include Sir George Paulett (c. 1550-1608), who served as an English ambassador to Denmark and France, and Sir John Paulett (c. 1585-1665), a Royalist commander during the English Civil War.
It's worth noting that the surname Paulett has undergone various spelling variations over time, including Paulet, Paulette, and Pawlett, reflecting the fluidity of surnames in earlier centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paulett
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulett, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Paulett 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 Paulett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paulett
Paulett 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-4 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,398 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-15 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11,398 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 14,734 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 Paulett 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 | #134,712 | #149,446 | -10.9% |
| Count | 125 | 110 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paulett bearers went from 125 to 110 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 14,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #149,446.
FAQ
Paulett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paulett?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Paulett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Paulett?
Paulett ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Paulett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Paulett.
Has Paulett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paulett went from 125 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Paulett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulett, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Paulett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paulett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (6.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Paulett (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 Paulett mean?
A topographic surname derived from a small village or locality name. 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 Paulett (0.04 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 Paulett?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Paulett at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.