2000
#183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 51.17
Common Last name
Payne
A topographic surname derived from the Old French word "paien," meaning a pagan or one who lived near a pagan temple.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 157,350 Americans carry the last name Payne. That puts it at #205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 45.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,178 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Payne 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Payne with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
157K
1 in 2,178
Census rank
#205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
45.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
137K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 137,217 bearers of the surname Payne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 45.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Payne, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Payne
The surname Payne is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "paine" which means bread or food. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for a baker or someone who provided bread or food.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Payne dates back to the 12th century in England. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a great survey of land ownership and taxation in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror.
In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Paine" or "Payn". It is thought that the surname may have been influenced by the Norman French word "pain" which also means bread.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Payne was Sir Thomas Payne, who lived in the 14th century and was a knight from Worcestershire, England. He served in the wars against France and Scotland.
Another notable historical figure with the surname Payne was Thomas Payne, a 16th century English printer and publisher. He is known for publishing works by notable authors such as Thomas More and John Skelton.
In the 17th century, Robert Payne, an English clergyman and scholar, gained recognition for his work as a translator and his writings on theology. He was born in 1619 and died in 1682.
During the 18th century, John Payne, an English poet and translator, made significant contributions to English literature. He was born in 1732 and is known for his translations of ancient Arabic and Persian literature.
In the 19th century, James Payne, an English architect, gained prominence for his work on various buildings in London, including the Reform Club and the travellers' club.
The surname Payne has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Payne's Park in Hertfordshire and Payne's Hill in Surrey.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Payne
Among Census respondents with the surname Payne, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Payne 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 Payne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.0% · 94,688
- Black or African American21.7% · 29,830
- Two or more races4.7% · 6,488
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4,682
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 796
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 733
Timeline
Historical Census data for Payne
Payne 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
#195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142,601
+4,573 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 48.34
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137,217
-5,384 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 45.91
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #183 | 138,028 | 51.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #195 | 142,601 | 48.34 | +4,573 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #205 | 137,217 | 45.91 | -5,384 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 10 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 Payne 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 | #195 | #205 | -5.1% |
| Count | 142,601 | 137,217 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 48.34 | 45.91 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Payne bearers went from 142,601 to 137,217 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #195 to #205.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Payne
FAQ
Payne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Payne?
Name Census estimates that about 157,350 living Americans carry the surname Payne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,178 residents.
How common is Payne?
Payne ranks #205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 45.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 46 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 137,217 people with the surname Payne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (157,350), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 45.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 45.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 46 of them to have the surname Payne.
Has Payne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Payne went from 142,601 recorded bearers to 137,217. That is a decrease of 5,384 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #195 to #205.
What does the Census say about the background of Payne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Payne, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Payne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (94,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Payne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.0%), Black (21.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Payne (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 Payne mean?
A topographic surname derived from the Old French word "paien," meaning a pagan or one who lived near a pagan temple. 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 Payne (45.91 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 common is the surname Payne?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Payne at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.