2000
#895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,400
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.12
Uncommon Last name
Ponce
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold a type of traveling cloak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 55,995 Americans carry the last name Ponce. That puts it at #683 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,121 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ponce 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.
Bearers in the US
56K
1 in 6,121
Census rank
#683
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
49K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 48,830 bearers of the surname Ponce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 683rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponce, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ponce
The surname Ponce has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia, where it first emerged in the medieval period. The name is derived from the Latin word "Pontius," which is believed to have originated from the Roman family name Pontius. This name was then transformed into the Spanish form "Ponce" over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ponce can be found in the 12th century, when a nobleman named Ponce de Cabrera was mentioned in various historical documents. He was a prominent figure during the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula sought to reclaim territories from the Moors.
The name Ponce gained further prominence in the 15th century with the explorer Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521), who is credited with leading the first European expedition to present-day Florida. He is also known for his futile search for the mythical Fountain of Youth, which was believed to have restorative powers and the ability to grant eternal youth.
Another notable figure with the surname Ponce was Pedro Ponce de León (1520-1584), a Spanish Benedictine monk who is widely regarded as the first teacher of the deaf. He developed an innovative method for teaching deaf individuals to read, write, and communicate effectively, paving the way for significant advancements in deaf education.
In the 17th century, the name Ponce was associated with the Spanish playwright and poet Juan Bautista Diamante Ponce (1625-1687), who was celebrated for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. His plays and poems were widely acclaimed and performed during his lifetime.
The surname Ponce is also linked to various place names in Spain, such as Ponce de León, a municipality in the province of Seville, and Ponce de Valderas, a town in the province of León. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Ponce surname who had historical connections to those locations.
Throughout history, the surname Ponce has been carried by numerous individuals of notable achievement, spanning various fields including exploration, education, literature, and beyond. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, its influence has extended far beyond its birthplace, leaving an indelible mark on the annals of history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ponce
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponce, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ponce 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 Ponce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.3% · 44,584
- White5.4% · 2,633
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 1,128
- Two or more races0.4% · 214
- Black or African American0.3% · 166
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ponce
Ponce 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
#695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,549
+14,149 bearers (+40.0%)
Per 100,000 16.80
Rank movement Up 200 places
2020
#683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,830
-719 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 16.34
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #895 | 35,400 | 13.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #695 | 49,549 | 16.80 | +14,149 bearers (+40.0%) | Up 200 places |
| 2020 | #683 | 48,830 | 16.34 | -719 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 12 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 Ponce 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 | #695 | #683 | 1.7% |
| Count | 49,549 | 48,830 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 16.80 | 16.34 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ponce bearers went from 49,549 to 48,830 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #695 to #683.
FAQ
Ponce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ponce?
Name Census estimates that about 55,995 living Americans carry the surname Ponce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,121 residents.
How common is Ponce?
Ponce ranks #683 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 48,830 people with the surname Ponce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (55,995), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Ponce.
Has Ponce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ponce went from 49,549 recorded bearers to 48,830. That is a decrease of 719 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #695 to #683.
What does the Census say about the background of Ponce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponce, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ponce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (44,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ponce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.3%), White (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Ponce (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 Ponce mean?
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold a type of traveling cloak. 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 Ponce (16.34 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 Ponce?
See how many people have the last name Ponce on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.