Find out how popular the last name Paulo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Paulo.

Paulo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Paulo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paulo in America

Paulo is the 19469th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paulo surname appeared 1,388 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Paulo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paulo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Paulo

The surname Paulo has its origins in Italy, dating back to the Roman era. It is derived from the Latin name "Paulus," which was a common name given to Roman citizens. This name is believed to be related to the Latin word "paulus," meaning "small" or "humble."

In ancient Rome, the name Paulus was often given to children born into wealthy or influential families as a way of instilling humility and modesty. Over time, the name evolved into the surname Paulo, which became widespread in various regions of Italy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Paulo can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis," a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, Italy. This codex contains records dating back to the 9th century, where the surname is spelled "Paulonis."

During the Middle Ages, the surname Paulo was particularly prevalent in the regions of Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania. It was often associated with prominent families and individuals, such as the noble Paulo family of Siena, who held significant power and influence in the city during the 13th and 14th centuries.

One notable bearer of the surname Paulo was Pietro Paulo Borghese (1460-1527), an Italian Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Nicastro and later became a cardinal. Another prominent figure was Pietro Paulo Vergerio (1370-1444), a renowned Italian humanist, diplomat, and canon law expert.

In the realm of art, the surname Paulo is associated with the Italian Renaissance painter Paolo da San Leocadio (active in the late 15th century), whose works can be found in various churches and galleries in Italy.

Moving forward in time, the 17th century saw the birth of Paolo Agostino di Valletta (1597-1659), a Maltese architect and military engineer who made significant contributions to the fortifications of Malta and played a crucial role in the defense of the island during the Great Siege of 1565.

Throughout history, the surname Paulo has also been associated with various place names and locations in Italy, such as the town of Paullo in the province of Milan, and the village of Paulo Alto in the province of Catanzaro.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paulo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Paulo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Paulo was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Paulo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Paulo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Paulo, please contact us.

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