2000
#60,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 314
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Pomfret
An English placename referring to someone from the town of Pontefract.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 407 Americans carry the last name Pomfret. That puts it at #61,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 842,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pomfret 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 Pomfret with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
407
1 in 842,148
Census rank
#61,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
355
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 355 bearers of the surname Pomfret in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pomfret, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pomfret
The surname Pomfret is of English origin, deriving from the place name Pontefract, a town in West Yorkshire, England. The name is believed to have originated in the 11th century, following the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
The place name Pontefract, from which Pomfret is derived, is itself a Norman-French name, composed of the elements "pont" meaning bridge, and "fract" meaning broken or fractured. This is thought to refer to a broken or damaged bridge that once existed in the area.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the surname Pomfret can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Robert de Pontefracto. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Richard de Pomfret was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1246. He was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership in the region.
During the 14th century, a prominent clergyman named John Pomfret rose to become the Archdeacon of Richmond, a position he held from 1372 until his death in 1401.
In the 15th century, a member of the gentry named Sir Thomas Pomfret was knighted for his service to King Henry VI during the Wars of the Roses. He lived from around 1425 to 1491.
Moving into the 16th century, a notable figure was John Pomfret, a poet and clergyman who lived from 1667 to 1703. He is best known for his religious poetry and his work as a chaplain to King William III.
Throughout history, the Pomfret surname has been associated with various locations, including the town of Pontefract itself, as well as other areas of Yorkshire and the surrounding regions. The name has also undergone various spelling variations, such as Pomfrett, Pomfrett, and Pounfret.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pomfret
Among Census respondents with the surname Pomfret, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pomfret 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 Pomfret surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 311
- Two or more races6.8% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pomfret
Pomfret 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
#60,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 333
+19 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 422 places
2020
#61,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 355
+22 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 633 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,083 | 314 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,505 | 333 | 0.11 | +19 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 422 places |
| 2020 | #61,138 | 355 | 0.12 | +22 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 633 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 Pomfret 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 | #60,505 | #61,138 | -1.0% |
| Count | 333 | 355 | 6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.12 | 8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pomfret bearers went from 333 to 355 (+6.6% change). The surname moved down 633 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,505 to #61,138.
FAQ
Pomfret surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pomfret?
Name Census estimates that about 407 living Americans carry the surname Pomfret. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 842,148 residents.
How common is Pomfret?
Pomfret ranks #61,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 355 people with the surname Pomfret. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pomfret.
Has Pomfret become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pomfret went from 333 recorded bearers to 355. That is an increase of 22 (+6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,505 to #61,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Pomfret?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pomfret, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Pomfret in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pomfret appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Pomfret (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 Pomfret mean?
An English placename referring to someone from the town of Pontefract. 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 Pomfret (0.12 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 common is the surname Pomfret?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Pomfret on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.