2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pascu
A surname potentially derived from the Latin word "pascua" meaning pasture or grazing land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 272 Americans carry the last name Pascu. That puts it at #85,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,260,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pascu surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pascu with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
272
1 in 1,260,126
Census rank
#85,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
237
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 237 bearers of the surname Pascu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascu, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pascu
The surname Pascu has its origins in Romania, specifically in the Transylvania region. It is a Romanian name derived from the Latin word "Pascua," meaning "Easter" or "Passover." The name likely originated in the medieval period and was initially associated with individuals born or baptized around the Easter season.
One of the earliest known references to the Pascu surname can be found in the Codex Bervaldensis, a 14th-century manuscript from Sibiu, Transylvania. The document mentions a certain "Georgius Pascu" who was involved in a land dispute in the year 1378.
In the 15th century, the Pascu surname appears in various historical records from Transylvania, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Transsylvaniae. One notable example is Petrus Pascu, a merchant from Braşov who was granted trade privileges in the year 1472.
The Pascu surname has also been linked to several place names in Romania, such as the village of Păsculeşti in Vâlcea County and the commune of Păsculeţi in Iaşi County. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Pascu surname who were among the earliest settlers or landowners in those areas.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the Pascu surname:
1. Ioan Pascu (1828-1892), a Romanian writer, journalist, and politician who played a significant role in the Romanian Revolution of 1848.
2. Ştefan Pascu (1904-1957), a Romanian historian and archaeologist known for his contributions to the study of ancient Dacia and Romania's early history.
3. Vasile Pascu (1924-2015), a Romanian mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis.
4. Victor Pascu (born 1949), a Romanian-Canadian writer and literary critic who has published numerous works exploring the cultural heritage of Transylvania.
5. Doina Pascu (born 1956), a Romanian diplomat and politician who has served as a Member of the European Parliament.
While the Pascu surname is primarily associated with Romania and the Transylvanian region, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pascu
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascu, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pascu bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pascu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 229
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pascu
Pascu appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#88,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
+86 bearers (+69.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 39,263 places
2020
#85,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 237
+28 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 3,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,685 | 209 | 0.07 | +86 bearers (+69.9%) | Up 39,263 places |
| 2020 | #85,054 | 237 | 0.08 | +28 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 3,631 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pascu surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #88,685 | #85,054 | 4.1% |
| Count | 209 | 237 | 13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pascu bearers went from 209 to 237 (+13.4% change). The surname moved up 3,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,685 to #85,054.
FAQ
Pascu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pascu?
Name Census estimates that about 272 living Americans carry the surname Pascu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,260,126 residents.
How common is Pascu?
Pascu ranks #85,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 237 people with the surname Pascu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pascu.
Has Pascu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pascu went from 209 recorded bearers to 237. That is an increase of 28 (+13.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #88,685 to #85,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Pascu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascu, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pascu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pascu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Black (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pascu (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pascu mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Latin word "pascua" meaning pasture or grazing land. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pascu (0.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Pascu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.