2000
#937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.63
Uncommon Last name
Pollard
An occupational surname for a person who trimmed the tops and branches of trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,225 Americans carry the last name Pollard. That puts it at #1,035 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,967 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pollard 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 Pollard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 8,967
Census rank
#1,035
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,334 bearers of the surname Pollard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1035th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pollard, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pollard
The surname Pollard is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "pollard," which referred to a person who pruned or pollarded trees, particularly willows and other trees used for making baskets and fences.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Pollard can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Polard" and "Polart." This suggests that the name was already well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, the name appears in various records as "Pollard," "Polard," and "Poillard." These variations in spelling were common during this period, as standardized spelling had not yet been established.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John Pollard, a prominent landowner in Buckinghamshire, England, who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir Lewis Pollard, a member of the English gentry from Devon, who lived in the early 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Pollard family gained prominence in Wiltshire, England, where they owned significant landholdings. One of the most notable members of this branch was Sir Hugh Pollard (c. 1535-1594), who served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in the suppression of the Wyatt Rebellion.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, several Pollards played important roles on both sides of the conflict. Sir John Pollard (1608-1655) was a Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I, while John Pollard (1630-1703) was a prominent Parliamentarian and served as a judge during the Commonwealth period.
The Pollard surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Pollard's Hill in Surrey and Pollard's Wood in Oxfordshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname who owned or resided in those areas.
Throughout history, the Pollard surname has been borne by many notable figures across various fields, including Sir John Pollard Willoughby (1817-1897), a British army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross; Robert Pollard (1932-2008), an American novelist and short story writer; and Amelia Pollard (1828-1906), an English artist and illustrator.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pollard
Among Census respondents with the surname Pollard, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pollard 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 Pollard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.1% · 20,040
- Black or African American30.6% · 10,192
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,589
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,094
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 237
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 182
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pollard
Pollard 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
#974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,749
+1,670 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 12.12
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#1,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,334
-2,415 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 11.15
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #937 | 34,079 | 12.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #974 | 35,749 | 12.12 | +1,670 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #1,035 | 33,334 | 11.15 | -2,415 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 61 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 Pollard 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 | #974 | #1,035 | -6.3% |
| Count | 35,749 | 33,334 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 12.12 | 11.15 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pollard bearers went from 35,749 to 33,334 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #974 to #1,035.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pollard
FAQ
Pollard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pollard?
Name Census estimates that about 38,225 living Americans carry the surname Pollard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,967 residents.
How common is Pollard?
Pollard ranks #1,035 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,334 people with the surname Pollard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,225), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Pollard.
Has Pollard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pollard went from 35,749 recorded bearers to 33,334. That is a decrease of 2,415 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #974 to #1,035.
What does the Census say about the background of Pollard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pollard, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Pollard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (20,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pollard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.1%), Black (30.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Pollard (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 Pollard mean?
An occupational surname for a person who trimmed the tops and branches of trees. 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 Pollard (11.15 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 share the surname Pollard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.