Explore the Family Name Paternoster
The meaning of Paternoster
English, German, French, Flemish, Walloon, Italian (Apulia and Basilicata), and Slovenian: from Latin pater noster ‘Our Father’, the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, which is represented by large beads punctuating the rosary. The surname was a (metonymic) occupational name for a maker of rosaries, often a shortened form of the Middle English, Middle High German occupational term paternosterer. It may also have been originally a nickname for an excessively pious individual or for someone who was under a feudal obligation to say paternosters for his master as part of the service by which he held land. In England the name is sometimes due to the service by which land was held, whereby a number of paternosters were said instead of a monetary payment being made. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Rocco, Guido, Elio, Angelo, Caesar, Carlo, Franco, Gennaro, Raffaela, Renzo, Vittorio.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Paternoster in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Paternoster demonstrated a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the surname fell by 3.67% from 25,865th place in 2000 to 26,814th in 2010. Despite this, the number of people bearing the Paternoster name rose by 1.57%, increasing from 893 individuals in 2000 to 907 a decade later. However, the proportion of individuals with the surname per 100,000 decreased by 6.06% during this period, indicating that while the count has increased, its popularity relative to other names has declined.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #25,865 | #26,814 | -3.67% |
| Count | 893 | 907 | 1.57% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.33 | 0.31 | -6.06% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Paternoster
In terms of ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the Paternoster surname identified as White, although there was a slight decrease of 1.19% from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander dropped completely from 0.56% in 2000 to none reported in 2010. Meanwhile, the representation within the Hispanic population saw an increase of 27.81%. As for those identifying as part of two or more races, they were not represented in 2000 but made up 0.66% of the Paternosters in 2010. There were no recorded instances of Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals with this surname in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.3% | 95.15% | -1.19% |
| Hispanic | 3.02% | 3.86% | 27.81% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0.66% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.56% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |