2000
#1,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.15
Uncommon Last name
Paulson
Son of Paul, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name Paul.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,397 Americans carry the last name Paulson. That puts it at #1,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,019 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paulson 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 Paulson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,019
Census rank
#1,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,659 bearers of the surname Paulson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paulson
The surname Paulson has its roots in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It originated from a patronymic naming system, where "son" was added to the father's first name to indicate lineage. In this case, "Paulson" means "son of Paul."
The name Paul itself has its origins in the Latin name Paulus, which was derived from the Roman family name Paulli. It was a common practice among early Christians to adopt the name Paul in honor of the apostle Paul, who played a significant role in spreading Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.
Paulson is believed to have first appeared in written records during the medieval period, particularly in Scandinavian chronicles and parish registers. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents, dating back to the 13th century.
In England, the name Paulson appeared in various forms, such as Paulinson and Paullinson, reflecting the influence of Scandinavian settlers in the region. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Paulson, but it does include entries for individuals with the given name Paul.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Paulson was Hans Paulson, a Swedish clergyman who lived in the 16th century. Another notable figure was Jöns Paulson, a Swedish politician and landowner who served as a member of the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) in the 17th century.
In the United States, the name Paulson can be traced back to the early waves of Scandinavian immigration in the 19th century. One of the most famous individuals bearing this surname was Henry Paulson, an American banker and politician who served as the 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush.
Other notable individuals with the surname Paulson include:
1. Gunnar Paulson (1919-2009), a Swedish chess grandmaster.
2. Sarah Paulson (born 1974), an American actress known for her roles in films and television series such as "American Horror Story" and "Ratched."
3. Terry Paulson (born 1949), an American motivational speaker and author.
4. Heikki Paulson (1922-2011), a Finnish writer and journalist.
5. Björn Paulson (born 1953), a Swedish businessman and professional poker player.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paulson
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Paulson 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 Paulson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 17,027
- Two or more races3.1% · 580
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 556
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 265
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 116
- Black or African American0.6% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paulson
Paulson 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
#1,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,331
+32 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 6.55
Rank movement Down 152 places
2020
#1,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,659
-672 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 6.24
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,705 | 19,299 | 7.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,857 | 19,331 | 6.55 | +32 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 152 places |
| 2020 | #1,889 | 18,659 | 6.24 | -672 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 32 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 Paulson 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 | #1,857 | #1,889 | -1.7% |
| Count | 19,331 | 18,659 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.55 | 6.24 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paulson bearers went from 19,331 to 18,659 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,857 to #1,889.
FAQ
Paulson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paulson?
Name Census estimates that about 21,397 living Americans carry the surname Paulson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,019 residents.
How common is Paulson?
Paulson ranks #1,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,659 people with the surname Paulson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,397), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Paulson.
Has Paulson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paulson went from 19,331 recorded bearers to 18,659. That is a decrease of 672 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,857 to #1,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Paulson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (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 Paulson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (17,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paulson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (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 Paulson (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 Paulson mean?
Son of Paul, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name Paul. 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 Paulson (6.24 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 Paulson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.