2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Poates
A Cornish surname derived from an Anglo-Norman French nickname meaning "pudding" or "sausage."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Poates. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poates 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Poates in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poates, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poates
The surname Poates is thought to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from an Old English personal name or a location. One theory suggests it may be a variant of the name Pote or Pott, which itself comes from the Old English word "pot" meaning a vessel or container.
Another possibility is that Poates is a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a particular pool or pond. In this case, it could be related to the Old English word "pot" meaning a deep hole or pit filled with water.
While there are no definitive records of the name's earliest use, it is believed to have first appeared in various parts of central and southern England, including Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Somerset.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the 1524 Subsidy Rolls of Somerset, where a John Poates is listed. Another early reference is in the 1568 Parish Registers of St. Giles, Oxfordshire, which mention a Thomas Poates.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of various parishes across England, with slight variations in spelling such as Poat, Poate, and Poates. This suggests the name was relatively well-established by this time.
Notable individuals with the surname Poates include:
1. John Poates (c. 1580-1645), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in the early 17th century.
2. William Poates (1641-1712), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on religious topics.
3. Elizabeth Poates (1670-1738), a renowned herbalist and midwife from Gloucestershire, known for her expertise in traditional medicine.
4. Thomas Poates (1765-1842), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from Oxfordshire, who donated funds for the construction of several schools and churches in the area.
5. Henry Poates (1818-1892), a Victorian-era architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons.
While the exact origins of the surname remain somewhat unclear, its presence in various parts of England from the 16th century onwards suggests it has a long and widespread history within the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poates
Among Census respondents with the surname Poates, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Poates 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 Poates surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 83
- Black or African American10.9% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 10
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poates
Poates 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,212 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,212 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,305 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 Poates 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 | #144,141 | #149,446 | -3.7% |
| Count | 115 | 110 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poates bearers went from 115 to 110 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #149,446.
FAQ
Poates surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poates?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Poates. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Poates?
Poates ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Poates. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Poates.
Has Poates become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poates went from 115 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Poates?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poates, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (9.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Poates in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poates appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (10.9%), Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Poates (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 Poates mean?
A Cornish surname derived from an Anglo-Norman French nickname meaning "pudding" or "sausage." 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 Poates (0.04 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 surname Poates?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.