2000
#14,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Poll
An English habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a pool or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,342 Americans carry the last name Poll. That puts it at #14,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,351 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poll 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Poll with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,351
Census rank
#14,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,042 bearers of the surname Poll in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poll, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poll
The surname Poll has its origins in the German and Dutch-speaking regions of Europe, where it emerged during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "Pol," which means "pool" or "body of standing water." This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a pond or lake.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Poll surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry lists a landowner named Radulfus Pol, indicating the presence of the name in England during the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the Poll surname appeared in various records across the German-speaking regions of Europe. For instance, a merchant named Hermann Poll was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne, dated 1247. Additionally, the name was recorded in the town of Dortmund, where a man named Henricus Poll was listed as a resident in 1289.
The Poll surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest examples is Johannes Poll, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1456 to 1521. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy, including the development of new methods for calculating planetary positions.
Another prominent figure was Sir Frederick Poll, an English naval officer who lived from 1718 to 1803. He played a crucial role in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a captain in the Royal Navy and participating in several battles against the American colonies.
In the realm of literature, Max Poll was a Dutch writer and poet who lived from 1908 to 1992. He was renowned for his contributions to modern Dutch poetry and his experimental writing style, which challenged traditional literary conventions.
The Poll surname has also been associated with notable figures in the field of sports. One example is Karin Poll, a Dutch swimmer who competed in the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games. She won a gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Finally, the Poll surname has been carried by several influential scientists, including Heinz Poll, a German chemist who lived from 1926 to 2003. He made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry, particularly in the synthesis of complex organic compounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poll
Among Census respondents with the surname Poll, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Poll 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 Poll surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 1,750
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 82
- Black or African American1.9% · 39
- Two or more races0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poll
Poll 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
#16,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,672
-294 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 2,933 places
2020
#14,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,042
+370 bearers (+22.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 2,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,060 | 1,966 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,993 | 1,672 | 0.57 | -294 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 2,933 places |
| 2020 | #14,118 | 2,042 | 0.68 | +370 bearers (+22.1%) | Up 2,875 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 Poll 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 | #16,993 | #14,118 | 16.9% |
| Count | 1,672 | 2,042 | 22.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.68 | 19.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poll bearers went from 1,672 to 2,042 (+22.1% change). The surname moved up 2,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,993 to #14,118.
FAQ
Poll surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poll?
Name Census estimates that about 2,342 living Americans carry the surname Poll. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,351 residents.
How common is Poll?
Poll ranks #14,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,042 people with the surname Poll. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Poll.
Has Poll become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poll went from 1,672 recorded bearers to 2,042. That is an increase of 370 (+22.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,993 to #14,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Poll?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poll, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Poll in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (1,750 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poll appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Hispanic (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Poll (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 Poll mean?
An English habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a pool or stream. 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 Poll (0.68 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 many people are called Poll?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Poll, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.