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

Poitras, 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 Poitras surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poitras in America

Poitras is the 17709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poitras surname appeared 1,584 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Poitras.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poitras 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 Poitras

The surname Poitras traces its origins to the French region of Poitou, located in the west-central part of the country. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "Poitevin," which referred to someone from Poitou. The name likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Poitras surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Poitevin," indicating the presence of individuals from Poitou among the Norman settlers in England at that time.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Jean Poitras was mentioned in historical records as a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Poitiers, the capital of the Poitou region. His success and influence likely contributed to the further spread and recognition of the surname.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as French exploration and colonization efforts expanded across the Atlantic, several individuals bearing the Poitras surname were among the early settlers in New France (present-day Canada). One such individual was Jacques Poitras, who was born in 1612 in the village of La Rochelle, France, and later immigrated to Quebec in the mid-1600s.

Another notable figure was Marie-Anne Poitras, born in 1735 in Quebec City, who played a significant role in the development of the Poitras lineage in Canada. Her descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, contributing to the widespread distribution of the surname.

In the 19th century, Louis-Édouard Poitras (1819-1892), a prominent lawyer and politician from Quebec, served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and was known for his advocacy of French-Canadian rights and interests.

Other notable individuals with the Poitras surname include:

1. Jean-Claude Poitras (1924-2016), a Canadian filmmaker and producer known for his contributions to the growth of Québécois cinema.
2. Francine Poitras (born 1958), a Canadian painter and sculptor recognized for her distinctive abstract works.
3. Michael Poitras (born 1967), an American basketball player who played in the NBA for several teams, including the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.
4. Éric Poitras (born 1971), a Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent several seasons in the National Hockey League.
5. Laura Poitras (born 1964), an American filmmaker and journalist known for her documentary work on issues related to surveillance and privacy, including the Edward Snowden revelations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poitras

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Poitras, 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!