2000
#5,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Rare Last name
Pastor
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or pastor of a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,701 Americans carry the last name Pastor. That puts it at #4,541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,393 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pastor 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 Pastor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,393
Census rank
#4,541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,588 bearers of the surname Pastor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pastor
The surname "PASTOR" originated in Spain and Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "pastor," which means "shepherd" or "herdsman." The name likely referred to someone who tended flocks of sheep or other livestock as an occupation.
In medieval times, surnames were often based on professions, physical attributes, or places of origin. The name PASTOR likely emerged as a way to identify individuals who worked as shepherds or those who came from a particular region associated with pastoral activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PASTOR can be found in the Catalan region of Spain. In the 13th century, a document from the town of Lleida mentions a man named Bernat Pastor. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
Another early record of the PASTOR surname comes from Portugal, where a document dated 1291 refers to a man named Martim Pastor. This indicates that the name was also present in the neighboring region during the same period.
Throughout the centuries, the PASTOR surname appeared in various historical records across the Iberian Peninsula. For example, in the 15th century, a man named Juan Pastor was recorded as a resident of the town of Cuenca, Spain.
One notable figure with the PASTOR surname was Andrés Pastor (born around 1460), a Spanish theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Salamanca. He was known for his contributions to scholastic theology and his influential works on logic and metaphysics.
Another individual of note was Juan Pastor (1501-1566), a Spanish architect and sculptor who was responsible for the design and construction of several churches and monasteries in Spain, including the Church of San Esteban in Salamanca.
In the 18th century, a Spaniard named Manuel Pastor (1715-1785) gained recognition as a talented painter. He was particularly known for his religious works and portraits, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Spain.
As the PASTOR surname spread beyond the Iberian Peninsula, it also appeared in various parts of the Americas, particularly in regions colonized by Spain and Portugal. For instance, in the 19th century, a Venezuelan politician and diplomat named Miguel Pastor (1817-1888) played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
Another notable figure was Álvaro Pastor (1863-1933), a Uruguayan lawyer and politician who served as the President of Uruguay from 1920 to 1923.
While these are just a few examples, the PASTOR surname has a rich history spanning centuries and can be traced back to its origins as a occupational name in medieval Spain and Portugal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pastor
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pastor 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 Pastor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino50.0% · 3,795
- White39.0% · 2,959
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.4% · 559
- Black or African American1.8% · 137
- Two or more races1.7% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pastor
Pastor 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
#4,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,647
+1,433 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Up 529 places
2020
#4,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,588
-59 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,171 | 6,214 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,642 | 7,647 | 2.59 | +1,433 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 529 places |
| 2020 | #4,541 | 7,588 | 2.54 | -59 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 101 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 Pastor 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 | #4,642 | #4,541 | 2.2% |
| Count | 7,647 | 7,588 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.54 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pastor bearers went from 7,647 to 7,588 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,642 to #4,541.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pastor
FAQ
Pastor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pastor?
Name Census estimates that about 8,701 living Americans carry the surname Pastor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,393 residents.
How common is Pastor?
Pastor ranks #4,541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,588 people with the surname Pastor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,701), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pastor.
Has Pastor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pastor went from 7,647 recorded bearers to 7,588. That is a decrease of 59 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,642 to #4,541.
What does the Census say about the background of Pastor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pastor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (3,795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pastor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (50.0%), White (39.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%). 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 Pastor (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 Pastor mean?
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or pastor of a church. 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 Pastor (2.54 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 have the last name Pastor?
If you just want to know how common the surname Pastor is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.