2000
#12,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Pavone
An Italian occupational surname referring to a peacock keeper or a nickname for a vain, showy person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,344 Americans carry the last name Pavone. That puts it at #14,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pavone 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
2.3K
1 in 146,226
Census rank
#14,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,044 bearers of the surname Pavone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pavone
The surname Pavone originated in Italy and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pavone," which means "peacock." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or a reference to a person's occupation, such as a breeder or keeper of peacocks.
The earliest known records of the Pavone surname can be found in historical documents from the regions of Campania and Calabria in southern Italy. In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Catasto Onciario, a census-like register of households and landowners in the Kingdom of Sicily.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Pavone surname was Nicola Pavone, a nobleman from the town of Salerno in Campania, who lived in the late 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the local aristocracy and held significant influence in the region.
In the 16th century, the Pavone family gained prominence in the city of Naples, where several members held important positions in the clergy and the legal professions. Notably, Giambattista Pavone (1556-1623) was a renowned jurist and served as a judge in the Royal Court of Naples.
Another notable figure from the Pavone family was Gian Vincenzo Pavone (1599-1673), a Baroque painter from Naples who was known for his religious artworks and frescoes adorning various churches in the city.
During the 17th century, the Pavone surname spread to other parts of Italy, including the northern regions. One notable individual from this period was Giovanni Battista Pavone (1638-1705), a celebrated architect from Turin who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of San Filippo Neri.
In the 18th century, the Pavone family established a presence in the Kingdom of Sicily, where they were involved in various industries, including agriculture and commerce. One prominent member was Vincenzo Pavone (1725-1798), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Palermo who played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs.
Over the centuries, the Pavone surname has also been associated with various noble families and aristocratic lineages across Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pavone
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pavone 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 Pavone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,839
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 126
- Two or more races2.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pavone
Pavone 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
#13,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,261
+58 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 651 places
2020
#14,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,044
-217 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 643 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,815 | 2,203 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,466 | 2,261 | 0.77 | +58 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 651 places |
| 2020 | #14,109 | 2,044 | 0.68 | -217 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 643 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 Pavone 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 | #13,466 | #14,109 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,261 | 2,044 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.68 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pavone bearers went from 2,261 to 2,044 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 643 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,466 to #14,109.
FAQ
Pavone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pavone?
Name Census estimates that about 2,344 living Americans carry the surname Pavone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,226 residents.
How common is Pavone?
Pavone ranks #14,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,044 people with the surname Pavone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Pavone.
Has Pavone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pavone went from 2,261 recorded bearers to 2,044. That is a decrease of 217 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,466 to #14,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Pavone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Pavone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pavone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Pavone (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 Pavone mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a peacock keeper or a nickname for a vain, showy person. 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 Pavone (0.68 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 are called Pavone?
You can see how common the surname Pavone is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.