2000
#83,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Poire
A surname derived from the French word for "pear", possibly relating to a pear grower or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 252 Americans carry the last name Poire. That puts it at #90,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,360,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poire 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
252
1 in 1,360,136
Census rank
#90,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
220
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 220 bearers of the surname Poire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poire, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poire
The surname POIRE is of French origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "poire," meaning "pear," which in turn comes from the Latin word "pirum."
The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a pear tree or orchard or who had some other association with the fruit. It could also have been a occupational surname for someone who grew or sold pears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Livre des Métiers, a 13th-century document from Paris that listed various trades and professions. It mentions a "Jehan Poire," who was likely a pear seller or grower.
In the 14th century, there are records of a family named POIRE in the region of Normandy, specifically in the town of Rouen. This suggests that the name may have been particularly prevalent in that area.
One notable individual with the surname POIRE was Pierre POIRE, a French poet and scholar who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1490). He was renowned for his works on classical literature and philosophy.
In the 16th century, a man named Jean POIRE (c. 1510-1572) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Lyon. He was known for his involvement in the silk trade and his philanthropic efforts.
Another notable figure was François POIRE (1592-1670), a French lawyer and judge who served as the president of the Parlement of Paris, one of the highest courts in the kingdom.
In the 18th century, there was a French botanist named Jean-Baptiste-François POIRE (1743-1825), who was known for his work on the classification of plants and his contributions to the field of horticulture.
The surname POIRE can also be found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with historical French influence, such as Belgium and Switzerland. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and military figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poire
Among Census respondents with the surname Poire, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Poire 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 Poire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 169
- Hispanic or Latino17.3% · 38
- Two or more races5.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poire
Poire 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
#83,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 226
+17 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 392 places
2020
#90,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220
-6 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,958 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,618 | 209 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #83,226 | 226 | 0.08 | +17 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 392 places |
| 2020 | #90,184 | 220 | 0.07 | -6 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 6,958 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 Poire 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 | #83,226 | #90,184 | -8.4% |
| Count | 226 | 220 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poire bearers went from 226 to 220 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 6,958 positions in the national ranking, going from #83,226 to #90,184.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Poire
FAQ
Poire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poire?
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the surname Poire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,360,136 residents.
How common is Poire?
Poire ranks #90,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 220 people with the surname Poire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Poire.
Has Poire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poire went from 226 recorded bearers to 220. That is a decrease of 6 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #83,226 to #90,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Poire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poire, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Poire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Hispanic (17.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Poire (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 Poire mean?
A surname derived from the French word for "pear", possibly relating to a pear grower or seller. 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 Poire (0.07 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 common is the surname Poire?
Find out how many people have the last name Poire on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.