2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pavolko
A Slavic surname derived from the personal name Pavol, meaning "humble" or "small".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Pavolko. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pavolko 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Pavolko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavolko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pavolko
The surname Pavolko has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the Slavic regions of modern-day Ukraine and Belarus. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Slavic root "pavol," which is a variant of the name "Paul" and means "small" or "humble."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pavolko dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in the tax records of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These records documented landowners and their properties, indicating that the Pavolko family may have held some social status during that time.
In the 17th century, the name Pavolko was mentioned in the chronicles of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, a semi-autonomous group of Ukrainian warriors known for their military prowess and resistance against foreign invaders. This suggests that some members of the Pavolko family may have been associated with this renowned Cossack community.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Pavolko surname was prevalent in various regions of Ukraine, particularly in the central and eastern parts of the country. One notable individual from this time period was Ivan Pavolko (1762-1842), a respected Ukrainian writer and poet who contributed significantly to the development of Ukrainian literature.
Another prominent figure was Oleksiy Pavolko (1833-1905), a Ukrainian historian and ethnographer who studied and documented the traditions and folklore of the Ukrainian people. His work played a crucial role in preserving and disseminating the cultural heritage of Ukraine.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Pavolko surname was also found in the Belarusian regions, indicating the geographical spread of the name across different Slavic territories. One notable Belarusian bearing this surname was Uladzimir Pavolko (1891-1938), a writer and literary critic who played a pivotal role in the development of Belarusian literature during the early Soviet era.
As the Pavolko family dispersed throughout Eastern Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Pavolkov, Pavlochko, and Pavluk, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences within the Slavic regions.
While the surname Pavolko is not as commonly encountered today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich cultural tapestry of Eastern European history, with its roots firmly grounded in the medieval period and its branches extending across generations of Slavic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pavolko
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavolko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pavolko 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 Pavolko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pavolko
Pavolko 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,812 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+11 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,812 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 9,879 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 Pavolko 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 | #154,907 | #145,028 | 6.4% |
| Count | 105 | 116 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pavolko bearers went from 105 to 116 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 9,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,028.
FAQ
Pavolko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pavolko?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Pavolko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Pavolko?
Pavolko ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Pavolko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Pavolko.
Has Pavolko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pavolko went from 105 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 11 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Pavolko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavolko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pavolko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pavolko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pavolko (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 Pavolko mean?
A Slavic surname derived from the personal name Pavol, meaning "humble" or "small". 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 Pavolko (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 Pavolko?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.