Explore the Family Name Pale

The meaning of Pale

1. English and French: nickname from Middle English, Old French pale ‘pale of skin, pallid’. 2. Indian (Meghalaya; pronounced as two syllables): ethnic name from the name of the Jaintia tribe, of unexplained etymology. 3. West African (Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso; Palé): unexplained.

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

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

According to the Popularity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Pale ranked 55,609 in 2000 and slightly increased to 55,962 in 2010, showing a minimal decrease of 0.63%. The count, however, increased by 6.09% from 345 in 2000 to 366 in 2010. Simultaneously, its proportion per 100,000 people witnessed a small dip of 7.69%, going from 0.13 in 2000 to 0.12 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#55,609#55,962-0.63%
Count3453666.09%
Proportion per 100k0.130.12-7.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pale

Based on the Ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the ethnic identity associated with the surname Pale saw some notable changes between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased slightly by 1.65%, while there was no change in those identifying with two or more races or as American Indian and Alaskan Native. The proportion of individuals identifying as White saw a significant decrease from 52.17% in 2000 to 40.44% in 2010. In contrast, both Hispanic and Black ethnic identities saw substantial increases, with Hispanic going up from 16.23% to 23.22% and Black increasing from 7.54% to 10.93%.

20002010Change
White52.17%40.44%-22.48%
Hispanic16.23%23.22%43.07%
Asian/Pacific Islander20%19.67%-1.65%
Black7.54%10.93%44.96%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%