2000
#3,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.93
Uncommon Last name
Pauley
A variant of the surname Paul, derived from the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,621 Americans carry the last name Pauley. That puts it at #3,444 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,494 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pauley 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 Pauley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,494
Census rank
#3,444
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,134 bearers of the surname Pauley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3444th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pauley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pauley
The surname Pauley originated in England, specifically in the county of Lincolnshire, during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French name "Paueli," which itself comes from the Latin name "Paulus," meaning "small" or "humble."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named William Paueli is mentioned. The name was also found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208, referring to a Robertus Pauley.
In medieval England, the name was often associated with places like Pauley's Bridge in Lincolnshire and Pauley's Hill in Hertfordshire. These place names likely contributed to the development of the surname.
During the 13th century, the name evolved to its more modern spelling of "Pauley." In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a John Pauley is recorded as residing in Lincolnshire.
One notable early bearer of the surname was Sir William Pauley (c. 1290-1349), a prominent English soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was knighted for his bravery on the battlefield.
Another historical figure was Thomas Pauley (1515-1582), an English Protestant reformer and scholar who served as the Dean of Worcester Cathedral during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, John Pauley (1642-1712) was a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol, where he served as a city alderman.
During the American Revolutionary War, Captain James Pauley (1740-1818) fought for the Continental Army and was present at several key battles, including Saratoga and Yorktown.
In the 19th century, Mary Ann Pauley (1828-1891) was a well-known educator and advocate for women's rights, establishing several schools for girls in New England.
Throughout its history, the Pauley surname has maintained its connection to its English roots, with many bearers tracing their ancestry back to the county of Lincolnshire and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pauley
Among Census respondents with the surname Pauley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pauley 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 Pauley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 9,025
- Two or more races4.0% · 401
- Black or African American3.0% · 307
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 301
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pauley
Pauley 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
#3,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,809
+199 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 193 places
2020
#3,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,134
-675 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 3.39
Rank movement Down 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,124 | 10,610 | 3.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,317 | 10,809 | 3.66 | +199 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 193 places |
| 2020 | #3,444 | 10,134 | 3.39 | -675 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 127 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 Pauley 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 | #3,317 | #3,444 | -3.8% |
| Count | 10,809 | 10,134 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.66 | 3.39 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pauley bearers went from 10,809 to 10,134 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,317 to #3,444.
FAQ
Pauley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pauley?
Name Census estimates that about 11,621 living Americans carry the surname Pauley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,494 residents.
How common is Pauley?
Pauley ranks #3,444 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,134 people with the surname Pauley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,621), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pauley.
Has Pauley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pauley went from 10,809 recorded bearers to 10,134. That is a decrease of 675 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,317 to #3,444.
What does the Census say about the background of Pauley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pauley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Pauley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (9,025 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pauley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (3.0%). 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 Pauley (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 Pauley mean?
A variant of the surname Paul, derived from the Latin name 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 Pauley (3.39 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 surname Pauley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.