2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Polette
French surname derived from the Old French word "polet" meaning a young chicken.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Polette. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polette 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Polette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polette, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polette
The surname POLETTE is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "pollet," which referred to a young chicken or a small boy. This name was likely originally a nickname given to someone who was small or young in stature.
In the early 13th century, the name POLETTE can be found in records from the region of Normandy in northern France. It is possible that the name was initially spelled in various ways, such as Polet, Pollet, or Pollette, before the modern spelling of POLETTE became standardized.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name POLETTE appears in the Livre des Métiers, a 13th-century book that documented the trades and professions in Paris. In this text, a certain Jehan Polette is mentioned as a baker in the city.
During the 14th century, the name POLETTE began to spread beyond the borders of France. In 1387, a man named Willelmus Polette is recorded as a merchant living in London, England. This suggests that individuals with this surname had already established themselves in other parts of Europe by this time.
In the 15th century, the name POLETTE can be found in the records of the Duchy of Burgundy, which at the time encompassed parts of modern-day France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. A notable figure from this period was Jean Polette (1420-1488), a prominent lawyer and jurist who served as a counselor to the Duke of Burgundy.
Another significant bearer of the POLETTE surname was Pierre Polette (1510-1568), a French Protestant theologian and reformer who played a role in the spread of Calvinism in France during the 16th century.
As the name POLETTE continued to spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions. In the 17th century, a man named Hans Polette (1625-1701) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Hamburg, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time.
Throughout its history, the POLETTE surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobles, clergy, merchants, and artisans. While not a particularly common name, it has left a distinct mark on the historical records of several European countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polette
Among Census respondents with the surname Polette, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Polette 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 Polette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polette
Polette 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-26 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,488 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,977 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 27,488 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 10,977 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 Polette 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 | #139,228 | #150,205 | -7.9% |
| Count | 120 | 109 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polette bearers went from 120 to 109 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 10,977 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,205.
FAQ
Polette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polette?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Polette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Polette?
Polette ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Polette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Polette.
Has Polette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polette went from 120 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Polette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polette, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Polette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Polette (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 Polette mean?
French surname derived from the Old French word "polet" meaning a young chicken. 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 Polette (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 common is the surname Polette?
See how many people have the surname Polette on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.