How Common Is the Last Name Paula?
An estimated 1,782 people in the United States share the surname Paula. That's about 1 in 192,343 Americans. This data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau surname frequency tables.
This page covers the Paula surname's frequency in the U.S. population, its rank among all American surnames, and a breakdown of ancestry and ethnicity data from the Census. You can also check how many people share any first + last name combination involving Paula.
Estimated Americans with this Surname
1,782
About 1 in 192,343 people in the U.S.
Census Rank
#18,106
Frequency Rate
0.52
per 100,000 people
Census Count
1,538
2010 Census
Data Source
2010
U.S. Census Bureau
Ancestry and Ethnicity for Paula
The Paula surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as Hispanic (60.34%). The next largest groups are White (32.05%) and Black (3.97%).
Self-reported race and ethnicity from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables. Some categories may be suppressed for privacy when sample sizes are small.
Is the Surname Paula More or Less Common Than Before?
Between the 2000 and 2010 census releases, more people were recorded with the surname Paula, but it became a smaller share of the U.S. population overall. In other words, the raw count went up, while the frequency per 100,000 went down.
The headline number to watch is per 100,000 people. That tells you whether the surname became a bigger or smaller share of the country overall, even if the raw number of people with the name also changed.
Census Count
Per 100,000 People
Popularity summary
Use this table to compare rank, total count, and population-adjusted frequency side by side.
| Metric | 2010 | 2000 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,106 | #17,323 | -4.42% |
| Count | 1,538 | 1,504 | 2.24% |
| Per 100,000 | 0.52 | 0.56 | -7.41% |
If the raw count rose but the per-100,000 number fell, the surname still became less common relative to the size of the U.S. population. That is why the frequency rate usually tells the clearer story.
Recorded ancestry change
These percentages show how the Census profile for this surname shifted between the two surveys.
| Ancestry | 2010 | 2000 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 32.05% | 43.09% | -29.39% |
| Black | 3.97% | 2.99% | 28.16% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.93% | N/A | N/A |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.00% | N/A | N/A |
| Two or More Races | 0.72% | 3.06% | -123.81% |
| Hispanic | 60.34% | 48.47% | 21.82% |
These percentages come from self-reported Census data. They describe how the recorded makeup of people using the surname Paula changed between 2000 and 2010, not the deeper family origin of every bearer of the name.
First Name + Paula Combinations
How many people share a full name with Paula as the last name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Paula Surname: Questions and Answers
How common is the last name Paula?
Paula is the #18,106 most common surname in the United States, with an estimated 1,782 people sharing this last name. It appears at a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 Americans.
What ethnicity is the surname Paula?
The Paula surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as Hispanic (60.34%). The next largest groups are White (32.05%) and Black (3.97%). This data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables, which include self-reported race and ethnicity breakdowns.
How many people named [First Name] Paula are there?
We can estimate any first + last name combination. Popular examples: Michael Paula, James Paula, John Paula. Search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this surname data come from?
Surname frequency data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau decennial surname tables. These list every surname appearing in the Census along with frequency rates and demographic breakdowns. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
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