2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pawlenty
A derivative of a Polish surname indicating someone from the town of Pawlenty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Pawlenty. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pawlenty 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Pawlenty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pawlenty, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pawlenty
The surname Pawlenty has its roots in the Polish language, originating in the late medieval period, around the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "pawlowaty," which means "resembling a peacock" or "peacock-like." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname applied to someone with a proud or strutting demeanor, reminiscent of a peacock's gait.
The Pawlenty name was most prevalent in the regions of modern-day Poland and Ukraine, where it was first recorded. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Pawlenty, Pawlontski, and Pawlontovich, reflecting the diversity of local dialects and scribal interpretations.
One of the earliest documented references to the name comes from a 16th-century Polish manuscript, which mentions a landowner named Jan Pawlenty. This record provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during the Renaissance period in Eastern Europe.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Pawlenty surname was Mikołaj Pawlenty, a Polish military officer who served in the armies of King Jan III Sobieski. Mikołaj Pawlenty was known for his bravery and leadership during the Polish-Ottoman Wars.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Andrzej Pawlenty, born in 1768 in the city of Lviv (then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Andrzej was a respected scholar and linguist who contributed significantly to the study of Slavic languages and their historical development.
In the 19th century, the Pawlenty surname appeared in various records, including church registers and census documents, in the regions of Galicia (now part of modern-day Ukraine) and Volhynia (now part of northwestern Ukraine).
One notable figure from this period was Maria Pawlenty, born in 1842 in the village of Krasne, near Lviv. Maria was a renowned folk artist known for her intricate embroidery and traditional textile designs, which reflected the rich cultural heritage of the region.
While the Pawlenty surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references to the name can be traced back to its Polish and Ukrainian origins, where it has a long and storied history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pawlenty
Among Census respondents with the surname Pawlenty, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pawlenty 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 Pawlenty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pawlenty
Pawlenty 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,590 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 Pawlenty 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 | #148,347 | #145,757 | 1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 115 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pawlenty bearers went from 111 to 115 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,590 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #145,757.
FAQ
Pawlenty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pawlenty?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Pawlenty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Pawlenty?
Pawlenty ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Pawlenty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Pawlenty.
Has Pawlenty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pawlenty went from 111 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Pawlenty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pawlenty, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pawlenty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pawlenty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pawlenty (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 Pawlenty mean?
A derivative of a Polish surname indicating someone from the town of Pawlenty. 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 Pawlenty (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 share the surname Pawlenty?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.