# Packard (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/packard/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 9,494 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,733 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 32,520 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.9% (9,409 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpækɚd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Genealogy websites offer three or four hypotheses about the surname; none is confirmed. (Ideas include possible cognation with packer or with Pickard; evidence for or against is not presented.) The automotive brand is from the surname, via the brothers James Ward Packard and William Doud Packard. The ghost town in Kentucky, is named after a certain Amelia Packard.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Packard in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Packard in the United States.

## People named Packard

- David Packard, American electrical engineer, businessman, and philanthropist (1912–1996)
- Kelly Packard, American actress, television personality
- Vance Packard, American journalist (1914–1996)
- Alpheus Spring Packard, American entomologist, palaeontologist (1839-1905)
- Keith Packard, American software programmer
- James Ward Packard, American businessman (1863–1928)
- Ron Packard, American politician
- Elizabeth Packard, American activist (1816-1897)

## Similar surnames

Pickard, Pichardo, Picard.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.