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

Paynes, 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 Paynes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paynes in America

Paynes is the 60790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paynes surname appeared 331 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 Paynes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paynes 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 Paynes

The surname Paynes is of Anglo-Saxon origin and has its roots in the Old English word "paen", which means "pagan" or "heathen". The name was likely given as a nickname to someone who lived among or was associated with non-Christians or pagans during the early days of Christianity in Britain.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Paynes can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pagen" and "Paganell". These entries suggest that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Paynes was Sir Ralph Paynes, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066. He was granted lands in Yorkshire and other parts of northern England for his service to the king.

Another notable figure was Sir John Paynes, who served as a member of the English Parliament in the 14th century. He was born in 1310 in Wiltshire and played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War against France.

During the 16th century, the Paynes family established themselves as prominent landowners in Leicestershire. Sir Robert Paynes (1516-1580) was a member of the English gentry and served as High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1569.

In the 17th century, the name Paynes was associated with the village of Painswick in Gloucestershire. This place name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "pagan" and "wic", meaning "pagan dwelling or village". It is possible that some members of the Paynes family originated from or had connections to this area.

Thomas Paynes (1687-1773) was a notable figure in colonial America. He was born in London and immigrated to Virginia in the early 18th century, where he became a successful merchant and landowner. His descendants played influential roles in the American Revolutionary War and the formation of the United States.

Throughout history, the surname Paynes has been found in various spellings, including Paine, Payne, Payn, and Pagan, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences that shaped the development of surnames over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paynes

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

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

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

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