2000
#9,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Pauly
Derived from the Roman family name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble" in Latin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,704 Americans carry the last name Pauly. That puts it at #9,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pauly 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
3.7K
1 in 92,536
Census rank
#9,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,230 bearers of the surname Pauly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pauly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pauly
The surname Pauly has its origins in the ancient Roman Empire, tracing back to the Latin word "Paulus," which means "small" or "humble." This surname is particularly prevalent in regions of Germany, France, and other parts of Western Europe.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pauly emerged as a diminutive form of the personal name Paul, which was derived from the Latin name Paulus. It was common practice at the time to add the suffix "-y" or "-ey" to personal names to create surnames that identified individuals and families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pauly can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landholder named "Paulinus," which may have been an early variant of the surname Pauly.
In the 13th century, the name Pauly appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts from Germany and France. For example, a nobleman named Henricus Pauly was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne in 1274.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Pauly. One of the earliest was Johannes Pauly (c. 1450-1520), a German theologian and humanist who taught at the University of Leipzig. Another notable figure was François Pauly (1589-1651), a French painter and engraver who worked in the Baroque style.
In the 19th century, the Pauly family produced several influential figures. Jean-Baptiste Pauly (1808-1881) was a prominent French jurist and politician who served as a member of the National Assembly. Theodor Pauly (1818-1876) was a German scholar and editor who co-founded the famous Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, a comprehensive encyclopedia of classical studies.
Another notable figure was Max Pauly (1849-1917), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Auditorium Building and the Chicago Board of Trade Building. He was also responsible for the design of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.
The surname Pauly has also been associated with various place names throughout Europe. For example, the town of Pauley in Normandy, France, is believed to have derived its name from the surname Pauly. Similarly, the village of Pauli in northern Germany may have originated from the same source.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pauly
Among Census respondents with the surname Pauly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pauly 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 Pauly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,954
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 113
- Two or more races2.8% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 46
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pauly
Pauly 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
#9,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,235
+109 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 426 places
2020
#9,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,230
-5 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 356 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,543 | 3,126 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,969 | 3,235 | 1.10 | +109 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 426 places |
| 2020 | #9,613 | 3,230 | 1.08 | -5 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 356 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 Pauly 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 | #9,969 | #9,613 | 3.6% |
| Count | 3,235 | 3,230 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.08 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pauly bearers went from 3,235 to 3,230 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 356 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,969 to #9,613.
FAQ
Pauly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pauly?
Name Census estimates that about 3,704 living Americans carry the surname Pauly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,536 residents.
How common is Pauly?
Pauly ranks #9,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,230 people with the surname Pauly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,704), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pauly.
Has Pauly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pauly went from 3,235 recorded bearers to 3,230. That is a decrease of 5 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,969 to #9,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Pauly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pauly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) 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 Pauly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pauly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), 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 Pauly (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 Pauly mean?
Derived from the Roman family name Paulus, 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 Pauly (1.08 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 last name Pauly?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Pauly? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.