Explore the Family Name Payen

The meaning of Payen

1. French: from the Old French personal name Pagen, Paien, from Latin Paganus, from paganus ‘country-dweller’, a derivative of pagus ‘of or relating to the countryside’, possibly given to a child not yet baptized (because of its later sense of ‘pagan, heathen’). Alternatively, a nickname for a country-born person. This surname is also found in the West Indies (mainly Haiti) and Mauritius. 2. English: variant of Payne.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Payen increased in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it held rank 38,395 and by 2010, it had moved up to rank 35,812, showing a growth of 6.73%. The count of people with this surname also saw an increase in this time period, going from 542 people in 2000 to 627 people in 2010, reflecting a rise of 15.68%. Furthermore, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 individuals saw a minor increase of 5%, moving from 0.2 in 2000 to 0.21 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#38,395#35,8126.73%
Count54262715.68%
Proportion per 100k0.20.215%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Payen

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Payen, there were some notable changes between 2000 and 2010, as reported by the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of people with this surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased by 27.93%, while those reporting two or more races saw a decrease of 48.01%. People identifying as White also decreased by 16.26%. However, those identifying as Hispanic or Latino decreased slightly by 9.20%. Interestingly, the demographic with the most significant change was those identifying as Black, seeing an increase of 21.74%. The percentage of people identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at 0%.

20002010Change
Hispanic54.8%49.76%-9.2%
Black35.24%42.9%21.74%
White6.09%5.1%-16.26%
Two or More Races2.77%1.44%-48.01%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.11%0.8%-27.93%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%