Find out how popular the last name Pavey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pavey.

Pavey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pavey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pavey in America

Pavey is the 19041st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pavey surname appeared 1,430 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pavey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pavey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pavey

The surname PAVEY originated in England, likely emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be a locational surname derived from the place name "Pavey" or "Paveley", which may have referred to a particular region or settlement.

The name's roots can be traced back to the Old French word "pavé", meaning "paved" or "paved road". This suggests that the surname may have initially been given to someone who lived near a paved road or path, or perhaps worked as a paver or road builder.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "Pavelee". This document lists landowners and tenants in various counties of England at the time.

In the 16th century, the PAVEY surname is found in various parish records and tax rolls across southern England, particularly in counties like Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset. For example, the christening of John Pavey is recorded in the parish registers of Stourton, Wiltshire, in 1587.

A notable bearer of the PAVEY surname was Sir Walter Pavey (c. 1540-1629), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Wiltshire. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1612 and was knighted by King James I.

Another prominent individual was Sir John Pavey (1598-1668), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Wiltshire during the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and played a role in the trial and execution of King Charles I.

In the 17th century, the PAVEY surname appears in various colonial records of the British colonies in North America, indicating that some individuals with this name emigrated to the New World during this period.

One interesting example is John Pavey (c. 1650-1722), an early settler in Virginia who acquired a significant amount of land and served as a justice of the peace and member of the House of Burgesses.

The PAVEY surname has also been borne by several notable scholars and authors, including Robert Pavey (1798-1877), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works.

Overall, the surname PAVEY has a rich history spanning multiple centuries, with its roots firmly planted in medieval England and its bearers contributing to various fields throughout the ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pavey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pavey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pavey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pavey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pavey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pavey, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!