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

Paxson, 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 Paxson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paxson in America

Paxson is the 11942nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paxson surname appeared 2,618 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Paxson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paxson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Paxson

The surname Paxson is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "paxton," which referred to someone who lived near a park or enclosure. The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a William Paxton is mentioned. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not include the name Paxson, suggesting that it emerged later.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Paxton, Pakston, and Paxstone, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. One notable individual from this period was John Paxson, a merchant from Bristol, who was born around 1330 and played a significant role in the city's trade with continental Europe.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Paxson became more widespread across England. Sir William Paxson (1550-1628) was a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer under King James I. Another noteworthy figure was Edward Paxson (1605-1670), a Puritan minister who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636 and became one of the founders of Stratford, Connecticut.

As the British Empire expanded, the name Paxson spread to other parts of the world. One example is John Paxson (1745-1820), a British explorer and navigator who surveyed the coasts of Australia and New Zealand in the late 18th century. In the 19th century, Joseph Paxson (1817-1899) was a renowned American painter known for his landscapes and portraits, particularly of Native Americans.

In the 20th century, Harry Paxson (1899-1980) was a renowned American classical pianist and educator who taught at the Juilliard School for over 40 years. Additionally, Rebecca Paxson (1920-2009) was a prominent writer and advocate for women's rights, publishing several novels and non-fiction works exploring themes of gender and social justice.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paxson

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

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 Paxson 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Paxson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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