2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pavelock
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure by the paved road."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Pavelock. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pavelock 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Pavelock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavelock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pavelock
The surname Pavelock has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "pæfing" and "loc," which together mean "enclosed meadow." This suggests that the name may have originated as a place name referring to a small enclosed area of land used for grazing livestock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pavelock can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus de Pavelok is mentioned. This entry provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the Pavelock surname appears in various legal documents and records, such as the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1279, which mention a Robert Pavelok. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of England by this time.
The Pavelock name has also been linked to several place names in England, including Paveley in Shropshire and Paveley End in Bedfordshire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Pavelock surname or vice versa.
One notable individual with the Pavelock surname was Sir John Pavelock, a 14th-century knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Siege of Calais in 1347.
Another historical figure bearing this name was Thomas Pavelock, a 15th-century English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Winchester from 1460 to 1475.
In the 16th century, the Pavelock surname is found in the records of the English College of Arms, which regulated heraldry and coats of arms. This suggests that the name had achieved a certain level of social prominence by this time.
During the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records and legal documents, such as the marriage record of Edward Pavelock and Elizabeth Woodhall in 1667 in the parish of St. Mary's, Bury St. Edmunds.
In the 18th century, a notable individual with the Pavelock surname was Captain James Pavelock, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He was involved in several naval engagements against the French and American forces.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pavelock
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavelock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pavelock 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 Pavelock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pavelock
Pavelock 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+6 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,392 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-14 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 3,392 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 11,606 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 Pavelock 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 | #143,149 | #154,755 | -8.1% |
| Count | 116 | 102 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pavelock bearers went from 116 to 102 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 11,606 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #154,755.
FAQ
Pavelock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pavelock?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Pavelock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Pavelock?
Pavelock ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Pavelock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pavelock.
Has Pavelock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pavelock went from 116 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Pavelock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavelock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Pavelock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pavelock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Pavelock (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 Pavelock mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure by the paved road." 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 Pavelock (0.03 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 Pavelock?
Find out how many people have the surname Pavelock on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.