2000
#4,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.70
Rare Last name
Pogue
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "pógach," meaning "kiss" or "kisser."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,979 Americans carry the last name Pogue. That puts it at #4,917 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pogue 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pogue with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,957
Census rank
#4,917
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,958 bearers of the surname Pogue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4917th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogue, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pogue
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogue, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pogue 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 Pogue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 5,416
- Black or African American11.8% · 822
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 306
- Two or more races4.1% · 282
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pogue
Pogue 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
#4,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,493
+205 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 254 places
2020
#4,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,958
-535 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Down 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,480 | 7,288 | 2.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,734 | 7,493 | 2.54 | +205 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 254 places |
| 2020 | #4,917 | 6,958 | 2.33 | -535 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 183 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 Pogue 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 | #4,734 | #4,917 | -3.9% |
| Count | 7,493 | 6,958 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 2.33 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pogue bearers went from 7,493 to 6,958 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,734 to #4,917.
FAQ
Pogue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pogue?
Name Census estimates that about 7,979 living Americans carry the surname Pogue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,957 residents.
How common is Pogue?
Pogue ranks #4,917 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,958 people with the surname Pogue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,979), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pogue.
Has Pogue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pogue went from 7,493 recorded bearers to 6,958. That is a decrease of 535 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,734 to #4,917.
What does the Census say about the background of Pogue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogue, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Pogue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (5,416 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pogue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (11.8%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Pogue (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 Pogue mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "pógach," meaning "kiss" or "kisser." 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 Pogue (2.33 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 Pogue?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.