Explore the Family Name Paavola

The meaning of Paavola

Finnish: habitational name from farms so named, from the personal name Paavo (from Latin Paulus; see Paul) + the locative ending -la, thus referring to ‘Paavo’s farm’. Established as a hereditary surname since the 19th century, e.g. in Ostrobothnia. Some characteristic forenames: Finnish Jouni, Osmo, Esko, Jouko, Sulo, Timo, Toivo, Waino. Scandinavian Nels.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Paavola in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Paavola has seen an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname improved from 50,055 to 47,791, a change of 4.52%. This is also reflected in the count of people with this surname, which went up from 393 to 443, a notable growth of 12.72%. However, the proportion per 100,000 people remained unchanged at 0.15.

20002010Change
Rank#50,055#47,7914.52%
Count39344312.72%
Proportion per 100k0.150.150%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Paavola

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Paavola, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts between 2000 and 2010. A substantial majority of individuals with this surname identify as White, though there was a small decrease from 97.20% to 94.36%. In 2010, for the first time, individuals identifying as two or more races and Hispanic appear in the data, representing 3.16% and 1.13%, respectively. No persons with the surname Paavola identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these years.

20002010Change
White97.2%94.36%-2.92%
Two or More Races0%3.16%0%
Hispanic0%1.13%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%