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

Pawa, 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 Pawa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pawa in America

Pawa is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pawa surname appeared 135 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 Pawa.

The history of the last name Pawa

The surname PAWA has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of Punjab and Haryana. It is believed to have emerged during the 16th century, derived from the Sanskrit word "pava," which means "pure" or "sacred."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PAWA can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions a village called "Pawa" in the present-day Hisar district of Haryana.

In the 17th century, the PAWA surname appeared in several Persian manuscripts, particularly those related to land records and tax documents. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have held positions of authority or owned significant landholdings during that period.

The name PAWA has also been associated with various place names in the region. For instance, there is a town called "Pawa" in the Sidhpur Tehsil of Gujarat, which could have contributed to the spread of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname PAWA include:

1. Rai Bahadur Sher Singh Pawa (1860-1938), an influential landlord and political figure in British India, who played a significant role in the establishment of the Khalsa College in Amritsar.

2. Sardar Khushwant Singh Pawa (1915-2014), an acclaimed author, journalist, and diplomat, best known for his novels and non-fiction works that explored the cultural and historical landscape of the Punjab region.

3. Sardar Mohan Singh Pawa (1887-1967), a prominent freedom fighter and politician who actively participated in the Indian independence movement and later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.

4. Harbans Singh Pawa (1923-2003), a renowned scholar and historian who made significant contributions to the study of Sikh history and literature. His work, "Namdhari Awaz," is considered a seminal text on the Namdhari movement.

5. Harjinder Singh Pawa (born 1962), a former Indian cricketer who represented the Punjab cricket team and played domestic cricket in India during the 1980s and 1990s.

While the PAWA surname has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide insights into the rich cultural and linguistic heritage associated with this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pawa

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

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 Pawa 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.

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 Pawa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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