2000
#11,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,494
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Paxson
An English occupational surname derived from the Latin "pax," meaning "peace," likely referring to a peaceful person or peacemaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,906 Americans carry the last name Paxson. That puts it at #11,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paxson 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
2.9K
1 in 117,947
Census rank
#11,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,534 bearers of the surname Paxson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paxson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paxson
Among Census respondents with the surname Paxson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paxson 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 Paxson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 2,217
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 97
- Two or more races3.8% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paxson
Paxson 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
#11,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,618
+124 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#11,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
-84 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,564 | 2,494 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,942 | 2,618 | 0.89 | +124 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #11,813 | 2,534 | 0.85 | -84 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 129 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 Paxson 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 | #11,942 | #11,813 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,618 | 2,534 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.85 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paxson bearers went from 2,618 to 2,534 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,942 to #11,813.
FAQ
Paxson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paxson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,906 living Americans carry the surname Paxson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,947 residents.
How common is Paxson?
Paxson ranks #11,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,534 people with the surname Paxson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Paxson.
Has Paxson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paxson went from 2,618 recorded bearers to 2,534. That is a decrease of 84 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,942 to #11,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Paxson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paxson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Paxson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (2,217 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paxson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Paxson (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 Paxson mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Latin "pax," meaning "peace," likely referring to a peaceful person or peacemaker. 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 Paxson (0.85 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 Paxson?
You can see how many people are called Paxson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.