2000
#15,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,715
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Pavia
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from the city or province of Pavia in northern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,464 Americans carry the last name Pavia. That puts it at #13,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pavia 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
2.5K
1 in 139,105
Census rank
#13,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,149 bearers of the surname Pavia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavia, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (42.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pavia
The surname Pavia originated in Italy, specifically in the city of Pavia, located in the Lombardy region. The name can be traced back to the 11th century and is believed to be derived from the Latin word "papiensis," which means "of Pavia."
During the Middle Ages, Pavia was an important center of learning and culture, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. The city's name was often used as a surname by those who hailed from or had connections to the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pavia can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, Italy. This codex contains references to individuals bearing the name Pavia in the 12th century.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Egidio Pavia, a physician and philosopher, was born in Pavia. He is known for his contributions to the study of logic and natural philosophy during the Medieval period.
Another notable individual with the surname Pavia was Francesco Pavia, a 16th-century Italian architect and sculptor. He was born in Pavia in 1525 and is credited with designing several churches and palaces in the city, including the Church of Santa Maria di Canepanova.
In the 17th century, Giovanni Battista Pavia, a Jesuit scholar and mathematician, was born in Pavia in 1625. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was a professor at the University of Pavia.
During the 18th century, the surname Pavia was also associated with the Marquis Pavia family, a noble Italian family with roots in Pavia. They played a prominent role in the political and cultural life of the region.
Throughout history, the surname Pavia has been found in various spellings, such as Pavi, Pavie, and Pavesi, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences of different areas in Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pavia
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavia, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (42.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pavia 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 Pavia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.3% · 1,081
- Hispanic or Latino42.4% · 912
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 89
- Two or more races2.6% · 55
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pavia
Pavia 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
#14,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,126
+411 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 1,511 places
2020
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,149
+23 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,648 | 1,715 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,137 | 2,126 | 0.72 | +411 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 1,511 places |
| 2020 | #13,522 | 2,149 | 0.72 | +23 bearers (+1.1%) | Up 615 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 Pavia 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 | #14,137 | #13,522 | 4.4% |
| Count | 2,126 | 2,149 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.72 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pavia bearers went from 2,126 to 2,149 (+1.1% change). The surname moved up 615 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,137 to #13,522.
FAQ
Pavia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pavia?
Name Census estimates that about 2,464 living Americans carry the surname Pavia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,105 residents.
How common is Pavia?
Pavia ranks #13,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,149 people with the surname Pavia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Pavia.
Has Pavia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pavia went from 2,126 recorded bearers to 2,149. That is an increase of 23 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,137 to #13,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Pavia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavia, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (42.4%) 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 Pavia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.3% (1,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pavia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.3%), Hispanic (42.4%), 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 Pavia (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 Pavia mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from the city or province of Pavia in northern Italy. 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 Pavia (0.72 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 Pavia?
Want to know how many people are called Pavia? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.