2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Poiencot
An occupational surname denoting one who bred or raised calves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Poiencot. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poiencot 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Poiencot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poiencot, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poiencot
The surname POIENCOT is believed to have originated in France during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "poien", meaning a small hill or mound, and "cot", referring to a small dwelling or cottage. Together, POIENCOT would have been used to describe someone who lived on or near a small hill.
The earliest known records of the name POIENCOT date back to the late 1300s, appearing in various historical documents from the regions of Normandy and Picardy in northern France. Some variations in spelling from that time include Poincocq, Poincault, and Poinceau. It is likely that the name was initially used as a descriptive term to identify a person's place of residence before becoming a hereditary surname.
One of the first notable individuals with the surname POIENCOT was Jean Poiencot, a merchant and landowner in the town of Rouen, Normandy, who lived in the early 15th century. Records show that he was involved in trade with England and owned several properties in the Rouen area.
Another early bearer of the name was Pierre Poiencot, a farmer from the village of Abbeville in Picardy, who was mentioned in local tax records from the late 1400s. This suggests that the surname had spread beyond its initial location and was being used by families in different parts of northern France.
In the 16th century, a family by the name of POIENCOT settled in the region of Champagne, where they became prominent landowners and vintners. One member of this family, Jacques Poiencot (1525-1598), was a well-known winemaker and supplier to the royal court of King Henry IV.
During the 17th century, a branch of the POIENCOT family emigrated to the French colony of Quebec, Canada. Among the early settlers was Antoine Poiencot (1639-1702), who established a farm near the city of Quebec and had several children, helping to propagate the name in North America.
As the surname spread across different regions, variations in spelling became more common, with forms such as Poinsot, Poincenot, and Poinseau appearing in historical records. Despite these variations, the name's roots can be traced back to its origins in northern France during the late medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poiencot
Among Census respondents with the surname Poiencot, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Poiencot 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 Poiencot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 115
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poiencot
Poiencot 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,151 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,151 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 7,346 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 Poiencot 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 | #149,395 | #142,049 | 4.9% |
| Count | 110 | 120 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poiencot bearers went from 110 to 120 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 7,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #142,049.
FAQ
Poiencot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poiencot?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Poiencot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Poiencot?
Poiencot ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Poiencot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Poiencot.
Has Poiencot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poiencot went from 110 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 10 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Poiencot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poiencot, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Poiencot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poiencot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Black (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Poiencot (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 Poiencot mean?
An occupational surname denoting one who bred or raised calves. 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 Poiencot (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 are called Poiencot?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Poiencot, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.