Pagan
A surname from the medieval personal name Paganus, originally meaning “heathen” or “rustic,” later used as a given name and family name.
The #1,528 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,153 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Pagan goes back to the medieval personal name Paganus, a Latin word that originally meant “villager” or “rustic” and later came to mean “heathen” in Christian Latin. Norman French and Middle English used Pagan as a personal name, and from that name developed the surname. It is therefore related to surnames like Payne and Paine, which come from the same source.
History
The name is recorded early in England, including in Domesday Book and later medieval rolls, which shows that it was in use as both a personal name and a surname by the Norman period. Historical surname writers also note that Pagan survived as an English surname even after related forms such as Payne became more common. The surname is also found in Scotland and elsewhere in the British Isles, though the exact family lines may have separate origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval scholars sometimes note that the same Latin root behind Pagan also helped produce the very different-looking surname Payne.
From the historical record
“[O.E. pais + mSr] PAGAN ] (Lat.) Heathen [E. pagan; Lat. PAGEN /-fl^flM-Mj, (lit.) a rustic] PAGOIM J Pagan-US. — Domesday Book. Pagan de la Hale. — Hund- Rolls. Cp. Payne. PAGE (A.-Fr.-Ital.) Boy-Attend^nt [A.-Fr.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)