2000
#2,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.12
Uncommon Last name
Paulsen
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Paul, meaning "small" or "humble" in Latin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,410 Americans carry the last name Paulsen. That puts it at #3,258 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,619 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paulsen 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
12K
1 in 27,619
Census rank
#3,258
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,822 bearers of the surname Paulsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3258th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paulsen
The surname Paulsen has its roots in the Low German region of northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is derived from the personal name Paul, which itself comes from the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble". The suffix "-sen" is a common patronymic ending in that region, indicating "son of".
Paulsen is believed to have originated as a surname in the 13th or 14th century, when it began to be used to distinguish between different individuals named Paul. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval records and documents from the region.
One notable historical reference to the name Paulsen is in the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval trading confederation that dominated maritime commerce in northern Europe. Several merchants and traders with the surname Paulsen were active members of this league, facilitating trade between cities like Hamburg, Lübeck, and Bremen.
In the 16th century, the name Paulsen appears in the records of the Protestant Reformation, as several individuals with this surname were among the early supporters and followers of Martin Luther's teachings. One such figure was Hans Paulsen, a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Schleswig-Holstein (c. 1510-1570).
As the surname spread beyond its northern German origins, variations in spelling emerged, including Paulssen, Paulzen, and Paulzsohn. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and language differences in the areas where the name took root.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Paulsen was Jürgen Paulsen, a merchant and sea captain from Lübeck who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Detlev Paulsen, a Danish mathematician and astronomer from the 17th century (1623-1697).
In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Paulsen achieved prominence. This includes the Norwegian writer and critic Bernhard Severin Ingemann Paulsen (1828-1897) and the German philosopher Friedrich Paulsen (1846-1908), known for his works on ethics and education.
Other notable historical figures with the surname Paulsen include the Danish composer and organist Carl August Paulsen (1833-1891) and the German-American architect William Paulsen (1856-1935), who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, including the Park Row Building and the Church of St. Paul the Apostle.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paulsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paulsen 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 Paulsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 9,971
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 359
- Two or more races2.8% · 298
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 55
- Black or African American0.5% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paulsen
Paulsen 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
#3,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,243
+122 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Down 232 places
2020
#3,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,822
-421 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.62
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,979 | 11,121 | 4.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,211 | 11,243 | 3.81 | +122 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 232 places |
| 2020 | #3,258 | 10,822 | 3.62 | -421 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 47 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 Paulsen 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 | #3,211 | #3,258 | -1.5% |
| Count | 11,243 | 10,822 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.81 | 3.62 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paulsen bearers went from 11,243 to 10,822 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,211 to #3,258.
FAQ
Paulsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paulsen?
Name Census estimates that about 12,410 living Americans carry the surname Paulsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,619 residents.
How common is Paulsen?
Paulsen ranks #3,258 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,822 people with the surname Paulsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,410), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Paulsen.
Has Paulsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paulsen went from 11,243 recorded bearers to 10,822. That is a decrease of 421 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,211 to #3,258.
What does the Census say about the background of Paulsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Paulsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (9,971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paulsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Paulsen (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 Paulsen mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Paul, meaning "small" or "humble" in Latin. 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 Paulsen (3.62 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 Paulsen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.