The Pala surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 623 people carried this name — #35,993 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 476,200 people counted. That is up 31% from 474 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Pala surname
A topographic surname for someone who lived near an upland meadow, from pala (“upland meadow”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Pala» (Italian), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Poland’s population register
2,277 people named Pala have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 2,547 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 15 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 231 people named Pala live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 229 people named Pala live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 207 people named Pala.
Most of them — 119 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 23 départements, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
178 people named Pala live in Switzerland.
They live in 12 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in St. Gallen.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
59 people named Pala is counted in Finland.
Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Pala in American newspapers,
1905.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 147,541 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Pala,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Inderquina Mendes 850–947 · aristocrat
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Brahma Pala 900–920
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Ratna Pala 920–960
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Indra Pala 960–990
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Dharma Pala 1035–1060
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Jaya Pala 1075–1100
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Pala.
- Pajak 1,352 · U.S. census
- Pajon 184 · U.S. census
- Pajor 416 · U.S. census
- Pajot 147 · U.S. census
- Pakula 493 · U.S. census
- Pal 3,844 · U.S. census
- Palacio 8,400 · U.S. census
- Palacios 43,798 · U.S. census
- Paladini 230 · U.S. census
- Palama 185 · U.S. census
- Palamara 372 · U.S. census
- Palanca 402 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Pala is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.