2000
#8,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Pascua
A Spanish surname referring to the Christian festival of Easter or the Jewish festival of Passover.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,213 Americans carry the last name Pascua. That puts it at #7,097 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,750 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pascua 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.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,750
Census rank
#7,097
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,546 bearers of the surname Pascua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7097th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pascua
The surname Pascua has its origins in Spain, and it is derived from the Spanish word "pascua," which means "Easter." This name likely has its roots in the medieval period, when many surnames were derived from religious or occupational terms.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pascua can be found in the Inquisition records of the 15th century, where a certain Juan Pascua was mentioned as a resident of Seville. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Paschua" or "Pascoa," reflecting the variations in spelling common in that era.
The name Pascua was also present in the records of the Spanish Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle between Christian and Moorish forces for control of the Iberian Peninsula. Several individuals with this surname fought alongside the Christian armies, such as Pedro Pascua, who participated in the siege of Granada in 1492.
In the 16th century, the Pascua family was among the early Spanish settlers in the Americas, with members of this family establishing themselves in various parts of the New World. One notable figure was Hernán Pascua, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Pascua name spread to other regions, including the Philippines, where several individuals bearing this surname held positions of authority during the Spanish colonial period. One such figure was Mariano Pascua, who served as the governor of the province of Ilocos Sur in the late 18th century.
Another notable bearer of the Pascua name was Juan Pascua, a Spanish soldier and explorer who was part of the expedition led by Juan de Oñate in the late 16th century. This expedition explored and established settlements in what is now the southwestern United States, including parts of New Mexico and Texas.
Throughout the centuries, the Pascua surname has been associated with various professions and achievements, from military service to religious orders and artistic pursuits. While the name may have originated from a religious term, it has since become a part of the diverse tapestry of Spanish and Hispanic cultures around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pascua
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pascua 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 Pascua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.8% · 3,584
- Two or more races7.7% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 331
- White5.5% · 248
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pascua
Pascua 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
#7,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,321
+951 bearers (+28.2%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 1,242 places
2020
#7,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,546
+225 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 587 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,926 | 3,370 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,684 | 4,321 | 1.46 | +951 bearers (+28.2%) | Up 1,242 places |
| 2020 | #7,097 | 4,546 | 1.52 | +225 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 587 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 Pascua 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 | #7,684 | #7,097 | 7.6% |
| Count | 4,321 | 4,546 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.52 | 4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pascua bearers went from 4,321 to 4,546 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 587 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,684 to #7,097.
FAQ
Pascua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pascua?
Name Census estimates that about 5,213 living Americans carry the surname Pascua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,750 residents.
How common is Pascua?
Pascua ranks #7,097 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,546 people with the surname Pascua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pascua.
Has Pascua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pascua went from 4,321 recorded bearers to 4,546. That is an increase of 225 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,684 to #7,097.
What does the Census say about the background of Pascua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pascua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Hispanic (7.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pascua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (3,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pascua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.8%), Two or More Races (7.7%), Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Pascua (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 Pascua mean?
A Spanish surname referring to the Christian festival of Easter or the Jewish festival of Passover. 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 Pascua (1.52 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 common is the surname Pascua?
You can see how many people have the surname Pascua on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.