Find out how popular the last name Pogue is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pogue.

Pogue, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pogue surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pogue in America

Pogue is the 4734th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pogue surname appeared 7,493 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Pogue.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pogue to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pogue

The surname Pogue is believed to have originated in France, deriving from the old French word "pogue" meaning "spotted" or "stained." It is thought to have been a descriptive surname given to someone who had a distinctive birthmark or discoloration on their skin.

The name can be traced back to the Normandy region of France, where it first appeared in records as early as the 12th century. One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Dives-sur-Mer cartulary from 1195, which mentions a "Willelmus Pogue" among the list of landowners.

As the Normans spread across Europe and Britain during the Middle Ages, the Pogue surname traveled with them. It is believed that the name was first introduced to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066, as many French settlers established themselves in the newly conquered lands.

In England, the Pogue name can be found in various historical records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a "Thomas Pogue" in Oxfordshire. The Pogue family also had a presence in medieval Scotland, with a "John Pogue" recorded as a landowner in the Ragman Rolls of 1296.

One of the earliest known Pogues in Britain was Sir Thomas Pogue, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was awarded lands in Gloucestershire for his service to the crown in the early 15th century. Another notable figure was Richard Pogue, a merchant and alderman in the City of London in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Pogue surname began to appear in Ireland, likely brought by English or Scottish settlers during the Plantations of Ulster. One of the first recorded Pogues in Ireland was John Pogue, who was born in County Antrim in 1632 and later became a prominent landowner and magistrate.

As the name spread across different regions, various spellings emerged, including Poag, Poague, Poge, and Pouge. These variations can be found in historical records from England, Scotland, Ireland, and even the American colonies.

Other notable individuals with the Pogue surname include:

1. Samuel Pogue (1765-1835), an American pioneer and early settler in Ohio.
2. Joseph Pogue (1767-1854), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Kentucky.
3. Mary Jane Pogue (1811-1892), an American pioneer and diarist who documented life on the Oregon Trail.
4. James Pogue (1836-1910), a Scottish-American businessman and founder of the Pogue Colliery Company in West Virginia.
5. Henry Pogue (1892-1965), an American businessman and co-founder of the Pogue's Run Resort in Indiana.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pogue

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pogue.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pogue was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pogue has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pogue was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pogue, please contact us.

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