2000
#9,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,239
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Paynter
An occupational surname referring to a painter or decorator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,756 Americans carry the last name Paynter. That puts it at #9,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paynter 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 Paynter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,255
Census rank
#9,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,275 bearers of the surname Paynter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paynter, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paynter
The surname Paynter has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old French word "peintor," meaning "painter." This suggests that the name was originally borne by someone who worked as a painter or artist.
The earliest recorded instance of the Paynter surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a certain Richard le Peyntour was mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the name's French roots and provides evidence of its use in England during the 13th century.
During the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms in historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which list a John le Payntour, and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, which mention a William le Peyntour.
One notable early bearer of the Paynter surname was John Paynter, a 15th-century English monk and author who lived from around 1420 to 1490. He is best known for his work "The Assize of Bread," which provided guidelines for the regulation of bread prices and weights.
In the 16th century, the Paynter surname continued to be recorded in various parts of England. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1524 list a Richard Paynter, while the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1572 mention a William Paynter.
Another significant figure with the Paynter surname was William Paynter, a 17th-century English merchant and philanthropist who lived from 1637 to 1716. He was a prominent figure in the City of London and made substantial donations to various charitable causes, including the establishment of almshouses and schools.
In the 18th century, the Paynter surname appears to have been particularly concentrated in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in southwestern England. Notable individuals from this period include John Paynter (1696-1768), a renowned clockmaker from Tavistock, Devon, and Thomas Paynter (1732-1803), a Church of England clergyman and author from Cornwall.
As the centuries progressed, the Paynter surname continued to be found throughout England, with various bearers making their mark in various fields, including the arts, business, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paynter
Among Census respondents with the surname Paynter, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Paynter 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 Paynter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 2,771
- Black or African American6.0% · 197
- Two or more races4.6% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paynter
Paynter 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
#9,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,322
+83 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 499 places
2020
#9,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,275
-47 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,257 | 3,239 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,756 | 3,322 | 1.13 | +83 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 499 places |
| 2020 | #9,497 | 3,275 | 1.10 | -47 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 259 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 Paynter 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 | #9,756 | #9,497 | 2.7% |
| Count | 3,322 | 3,275 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.10 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paynter bearers went from 3,322 to 3,275 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,756 to #9,497.
FAQ
Paynter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paynter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,756 living Americans carry the surname Paynter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,255 residents.
How common is Paynter?
Paynter ranks #9,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,275 people with the surname Paynter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,756), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Paynter.
Has Paynter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paynter went from 3,322 recorded bearers to 3,275. That is a decrease of 47 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,756 to #9,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Paynter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paynter, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Paynter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (2,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paynter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Paynter (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 Paynter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a painter or decorator. 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 Paynter (1.10 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 have the last name Paynter?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Paynter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.