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

Poinsette, 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 Poinsette surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poinsette in America

Poinsette is the 76029th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poinsette surname appeared 253 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Poinsette.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poinsette 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 Poinsette

The surname Poinsette is of French origin, deriving from the Old French word "poing" meaning "fist" and the suffix "-sette" meaning "little". The name is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century in the region of Normandy, France.

In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled as "Poincette" or "Poinccette". Over time, variations such as "Poinsett" and "Poinsette" became more common. The name likely referred to a person of small stature or possibly a skilled fighter or boxer.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the medieval French document "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Wandrille" from the 13th century, which mentions a person named "Ricardus Poincette". Another early record is the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres" from the 14th century, which includes the name "Johannes Poincette".

In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the French Protestant Church of Strasbourg, with entries for individuals such as "Pierre Poinsette" (born in 1564) and "Jean Poinsette" (born in 1578).

One notable individual with this surname was Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851), an American diplomat and botanist who introduced the poinsettia plant to the United States from Mexico. The poinsettia was named in his honor, though it is not directly related to his surname.

Other historical figures with the Poinsette surname include:

1. Jacques Poinsette (1550-1621), a French Protestant minister and theologian.
2. Pierre Poinsette (1619-1683), a French lawyer and magistrate.
3. Nicolas Poinsette (1675-1744), a French military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.
4. Jean-Baptiste Poinsette (1727-1804), a French painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
5. Marie-Anne Poinsette (1772-1845), a French writer and salon hostess in Paris.

While the Poinsette name has its roots in France, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas through migration and settlement patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poinsette

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

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

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

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