2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pavesi
An Italian surname referring to someone from the city of Pavia or its surrounding region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Pavesi. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pavesi 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Pavesi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavesi, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pavesi
The surname Pavesi originated in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Italian word "pavese," which means "of Pavia," a city in the Lombardy region.
Pavia, an ancient Roman settlement, was an important center of culture and learning during the Middle Ages. The name Pavesi likely referred to individuals who hailed from or had some connection to this city. Some records suggest that it was initially used as a locational surname, indicating a person's place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pavesi can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Langobardiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Kingdom of the Lombards. This codex includes references to individuals with the surname Pavesi in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Pavesi was Francesco Pavesi, a Franciscan friar and philosopher who lived between 1300 and 1362. He was known for his work on logic and metaphysics.
Another prominent individual with the Pavesi surname was Giovanni Pavesi, a 15th-century Milanese architect and engineer. He is credited with the design and construction of several notable buildings and fortifications in Milan, including the Castello Sforzesco, a Renaissance castle built for the Sforza family.
During the 16th century, the name Pavesi appeared in various records and manuscripts from the Duchy of Milan. One such individual was Galeazzo Pavesi, a lawyer and judge who served in the Milanese court during the reign of the Sforza family in the early 1500s.
In the 18th century, Pietro Pavesi, a mathematician and astronomer from Pavia, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was born in 1717 and died in 1799.
Another notable figure with the Pavesi surname was Giuseppe Pavesi, an Italian entomologist and naturalist who lived between 1828 and 1906. He made significant contributions to the study of insects and their taxonomy.
Throughout its history, the surname Pavesi has maintained a strong association with the city of Pavia and the surrounding regions of northern Italy. While the name has spread to other parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of this ancient Italian city.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pavesi
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavesi, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pavesi 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 Pavesi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 5
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pavesi
Pavesi 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+14 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,272 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-24 bearers (-16.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,801 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 2,272 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-16.6%) | Down 21,801 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 Pavesi 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 | #119,508 | #141,309 | -18.2% |
| Count | 145 | 121 | -16.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pavesi bearers went from 145 to 121 (-16.6% change). The surname moved down 21,801 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #141,309.
FAQ
Pavesi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pavesi?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Pavesi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Pavesi?
Pavesi ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Pavesi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pavesi.
Has Pavesi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pavesi went from 145 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 24 (-16.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #119,508 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Pavesi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavesi, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Pavesi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pavesi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (9.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Pavesi (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 Pavesi mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone from the city of Pavia or its surrounding region. 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 Pavesi (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Pavesi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.