The Pasternak surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 2,329 people carried this name — #13,142 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 126,600 people counted. That is down 4% from 2,420 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Pasternak surname
Borrowed from Polish Pasternak, Ukrainian Пастернак (Pasternak) and Yiddish פּאַסטערנאַק (pasternak).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Pasternak» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Poland’s population register
8,249 people named Pasternak have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 9,586 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.
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 France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 112 people named Pasternak.
40 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 30 départements, most often Paris.
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 Argentina’s national register
At least 51 people named Pasternak 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.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
45 people named Pasternak live in Switzerland.
They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where 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 Belgium’s population register
At least 22 people named Pasternak 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 Antwerp.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
26 people named Pasternak is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
Who carried it
People named Pasternak,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Leonid Pasternak 1862–1945 · visual artist -
Leonid Pasternak 1862–1945 · visual artist
-
Ivan Pasternak 1876–1943 -
Josef Pasternack 1881–1940 · composer -
Boris Pasternak 1890–1960 · screenwriter -
Luise Pasternak 1859–1927 · writer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Pasternak.
- Passas 129 · U.S. census
- Passe 465 · U.S. census
- Passeri 312 · U.S. census
- Passerini 246 · U.S. census
- Passini 334 · U.S. census
- Pastel 169 · U.S. census
- Pasteur 294 · U.S. census
- Pastor 7,647 · U.S. census
- Pastore 4,112 · U.S. census
- Pastorelli 235 · U.S. census
- Pastorello 221 · U.S. census
- Pastori 170 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Pasternak 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.