2000
#1,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.48
Uncommon Last name
Poe
An English occupational surname referring to a peacock keeper or a nickname for a vain, showy person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,583 Americans carry the last name Poe. That puts it at #1,502 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,894 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poe 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
27K
1 in 12,894
Census rank
#1,502
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,182 bearers of the surname Poe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1502nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poe, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poe
The surname POE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "pohha" or "poge," meaning "a small bag or pouch." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who carried a small bag or pouch, perhaps a merchant or peddler.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "le Pogh" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, indicating its early usage as a surname. The name also appeared in various other medieval records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, where it was spelled as "Poge."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname POE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, where a person named Richard Poge is mentioned. This suggests that the surname had already been established by the late 12th century.
The surname POE is also connected to several place names in England, such as Poehouse in Derbyshire and Poehole in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "pohha" or "poge," further reinforcing the surname's origins.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname POE. One of the most famous is Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the renowned American writer, poet, and literary critic known for his works such as "The Raven" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." His ancestors were likely of English descent, and the surname POE may have originated from the Old English word.
Another notable figure with the surname POE was John Poe (1637-1718), an early American settler who established a plantation in Maryland and played a significant role in the colony's development. His descendants went on to become prominent figures in various fields, including military and politics.
In the field of sports, Leroy Poe (1906-1974) was an American baseball player who played for the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1930s. He was known for his defensive skills and had a successful career in Major League Baseball.
Thomas Poe (1855-1928) was an American architect who designed several notable buildings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Maryland State House in Annapolis.
Finally, Andrew Poe (1834-1914) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, serving as a brigadier general and earning distinction for his bravery and leadership in several battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poe
Among Census respondents with the surname Poe, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Poe 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 Poe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 17,400
- Black or African American11.9% · 2,766
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 1,120
- Two or more races4.3% · 995
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 734
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 167
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poe
Poe 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
#1,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,563
+698 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 7.99
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#1,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,182
-381 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 7.76
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,433 | 22,865 | 8.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,522 | 23,563 | 7.99 | +698 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #1,502 | 23,182 | 7.76 | -381 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 20 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 Poe 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 | #1,522 | #1,502 | 1.3% |
| Count | 23,563 | 23,182 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.99 | 7.76 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poe bearers went from 23,563 to 23,182 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,522 to #1,502.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Poe
FAQ
Poe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poe?
Name Census estimates that about 26,583 living Americans carry the surname Poe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,894 residents.
How common is Poe?
Poe ranks #1,502 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,182 people with the surname Poe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,583), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Poe.
Has Poe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poe went from 23,563 recorded bearers to 23,182. That is a decrease of 381 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,522 to #1,502.
What does the Census say about the background of Poe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poe, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Poe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (17,400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (11.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Poe (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 Poe mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a peacock keeper or a nickname for a vain, showy person. 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 Poe (7.76 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 Poe?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.