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

Polson, 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 Polson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Polson in America

Polson is the 8027th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Polson surname appeared 4,125 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 Polson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Polson 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 Polson

The surname Polson originated in Scotland during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "pol," meaning a pool or creek, and "tun," meaning a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a pool or creek on a farm.

The earliest recorded instances of the Polson surname date back to the 13th century in the Scottish Borders region. One notable example is John de Polton, who is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording homages sworn to King Edward I of England.

During the 16th century, the Polson name appeared in various spellings, such as Poltoune, Poltoun, and Poulton, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations of the time. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Berwickshire, Roxburghshire, and Peeblesshire.

In the 17th century, records show the Polsons as landowners and farmers in the Scottish Borders region. One notable figure was Robert Polson (1603-1674), a Presbyterian minister and author who served as the minister of Cavers parish in Roxburghshire.

The 18th century saw the Polson name spread across Scotland and into England. John Polson (1736-1804) was a prominent Scottish businessman and merchant in Glasgow, known for his involvement in the tobacco trade and his support for the abolitionist movement.

As the Polson family migrated and settled in different parts of the world, the name took on various spellings, such as Polsen, Poulson, and Paulson. One notable individual was Jeremiah Polson (1788-1867), an American businessman and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Other notable individuals with the Polson surname include:

1. John Polson (1853-1922), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
2. Archibald Polson (1859-1935), a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
3. Wilbur Polson (1890-1976), an American artist and illustrator known for his works in children's literature.
4. Arthur Polson (1894-1980), a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender for several clubs, including Rangers and Motherwell.
5. Allison Polson (born 1975), a Canadian actress and producer known for her roles in television series such as Da Vinci's Inquest and Battlestar Galactica.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Polson

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Polson, please contact us.

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