2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pavletic
A surname derived from the Croatian or Serbian word "Pavletic" meaning "little Paul".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Pavletic. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pavletic 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Pavletic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavletic, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pavletic
The surname Pavletic originates from Croatia and dates back to the late 15th century. It is a derivative of the Croatian word "pavle" which means "small" or "little". This name was likely first adopted by someone of small stature or as a nickname for a younger son or family member.
In the earliest recorded instances, the name was spelled in various ways such as Pavlettich, Pavletich, and Pavletits. These early spellings are believed to be based on the Croatian word "pavle" and the suffix "-tic" which denoted belonging or relation.
One of the first recorded mentions of the name Pavletic can be found in a 1487 census record from the village of Brinje in the Lika region of Croatia. An entry lists a family headed by a man named Pavle Pavletic.
The Pavletic name has also been found in old church records and land ownership documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in areas like Primorje and Gorski Kotar in northwestern Croatia.
Notable individuals with the surname Pavletic throughout history include Matija Pavletic (1567-1642), a Croatian Catholic priest and author of religious texts. Josip Pavletic (1754-1819) was a Croatian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, Ante Pavletic (1821-1896) was a Croatian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Croatian Parliament. Ivan Pavletic (1885-1952) was a Croatian painter and art teacher known for his landscapes and portraits.
More recently, Miljenko Pavletic (1929-2020) was a Croatian artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his abstract metal sculptures and public art installations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pavletic
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavletic, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pavletic 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 Pavletic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pavletic
Pavletic appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 12,310 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 Pavletic 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 | #160,975 | #148,665 | 7.6% |
| Count | 100 | 111 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pavletic bearers went from 100 to 111 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 12,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #148,665.
FAQ
Pavletic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pavletic?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Pavletic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Pavletic?
Pavletic ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Pavletic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Pavletic.
Has Pavletic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pavletic went from 100 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 11 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Pavletic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavletic, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Pavletic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pavletic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Pavletic (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 Pavletic mean?
A surname derived from the Croatian or Serbian word "Pavletic" meaning "little Paul". 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 Pavletic (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 people have the surname Pavletic?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.