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

Pollitt, 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 Pollitt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pollitt in America

Pollitt is the 13049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pollitt surname appeared 2,353 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 Pollitt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pollitt 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 Pollitt

The surname Pollitt has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "pol" meaning "pool" or "stream" and "hyt" meaning "shelter" or "refuge." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where people lived near a pool or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pollitt can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, where it is spelled "Polhit." This variation in spelling was common during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire as "Polhyt," indicating its presence in different regions of England. The earliest known bearer of the name was John Polyt, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

The Pollitt surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Pollitt's Fold in Lancashire and Pollitt's Farm in Cheshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who lived or owned land in those areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Pollitt include:

1. John Pollitt (c. 1520-1557), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions.

2. Thomas Pollitt (1780-1853), an English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Manchester.

3. Walter Pollitt (1888-1957), a British trade unionist and politician who served as the General Secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen.

4. Harry Pollitt (1890-1960), a British communist and leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain during the mid-20th century.

5. Gordon Pollitt (1886-1918), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club and England.

While the Pollitt surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by emigrants from the British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pollitt

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

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

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