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

Pomeroy, 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 Pomeroy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pomeroy in America

Pomeroy is the 4792nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pomeroy surname appeared 7,377 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Pomeroy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pomeroy 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 Pomeroy

The surname Pomeroy has its origins in the village of Pomeroy, located in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany, France. The name is derived from the Old French words "pomme" meaning apple, and "roi" meaning king or chief, suggesting that the place name may have originally referred to an apple orchard owned by a prominent individual.

The earliest recorded mention of the name Pomeroy can be found in the Domesday Book, a detailed survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record lists a Norman knight named Ralphe de la Pomeraie, who held lands in Devonshire, England, indicating that the family had already established itself in England by the late 11th century.

In the 12th century, Sir Henry de Pomeroy accompanied King Richard I on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land, and his exploits are documented in several contemporary chronicles. Another notable member of the family was Sir Thomas Pomeroy (1370-1416), who served as a knight of the shire for Devon and fought in the Wars of the Roses.

During the English Civil War, Sir Edward Pomeroy (1619-1672) was a staunch Royalist and fought alongside King Charles I. He was later forced to sell his estates to pay fines imposed by the Parliamentarians.

In the 18th century, John Pomeroy (1718-1789) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Massachusetts, and his descendants played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. One of his sons, Seth Pomeroy (1706-1777), was a renowned military leader who participated in the Battles of Bunker Hill and Saratoga.

Another noteworthy figure was Sir George Pomeroy-Colley (1835-1881), a British army officer who served in various campaigns across the British Empire, including the Second Anglo-Afghan War and the First Boer War, where he was killed in action at the Battle of Majuba Hill.

Throughout its history, the Pomeroy surname has been subject to various spellings, including Pomeraie, Pomeraye, Pomraye, and Pommeroy, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of the regions where the name was prevalent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pomeroy

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

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

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

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