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

Poindexter, 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 Poindexter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poindexter in America

Poindexter is the 3129th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poindexter surname appeared 11,531 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Poindexter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poindexter 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 Poindexter

The surname Poindexter is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French phrase "poing destre," which means "right hand." This phrase was likely used to describe someone who was skilled or dexterous with their right hand.

The earliest known record of the name Poindexter dates back to the 13th century in Sussex, England. It was spelled in various ways, including Poyndexter, Poindestr, and Poyndestre. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Sir John Poindexter, who was a knight from Sussex during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the Poindexter family held land and properties in various parts of southern England, particularly in Surrey and Hampshire. One notable member was William Poindexter, who was a merchant and landowner in Southampton during the early 1400s.

The name Poindexter is also found in some historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, including parish records and tax rolls. For example, a Richard Poindexter was listed as a taxpayer in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1523.

During the 17th century, some members of the Poindexter family emigrated to the American colonies, where the name took root and spread across various states. One of the earliest known Poindexters in America was George Poindexter, who was born in Virginia in 1655 and served as a member of the House of Burgesses.

Another notable individual with this surname was Miles Poindexter (1868-1923), who was a lawyer and politician from Washington state. He served as a United States Senator and was also a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Other individuals with the Poindexter surname include John Poindexter (1936-present), who was a United States Naval officer and National Security Advisor during the Iran-Contra affair in the 1980s, and Jerrold Poindexter (1939-2021), an American computer scientist and information technology pioneer.

Overall, the surname Poindexter has a rich history dating back to medieval England, and it has been carried by various notable individuals throughout the centuries in both England and America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poindexter

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

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 Poindexter 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 Poindexter 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 Poindexter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!