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

Ponds, 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 Ponds surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ponds in America

Ponds is the 19114th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ponds surname appeared 1,423 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ponds.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ponds 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 Ponds

The surname Ponds is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "pund," which referred to an enclosed area for keeping livestock, particularly cattle. This word later evolved into "pound" and "ponds," the latter becoming a topographic name for someone who lived near a small body of water or a low-lying area prone to flooding.

Ponds is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a specific place name. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Punda" in reference to a place in Berkshire.

During the medieval period, the surname Ponds was predominantly found in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and surrounding areas. Some early bearers of this name include John atte Ponde, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1327, and William de la Ponde, mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275.

Variations in spelling were common throughout history, and the name appeared as Ponde, Pound, Pounde, and Ponds. One notable bearer of this surname was Sir John Ponds (c. 1480-1563), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.

Another individual of historical significance was William Ponds (1638-1713), a prominent Quaker and early settler in Pennsylvania. He immigrated to America in the late 17th century and helped establish the town of Ponds Town, which later became part of Philadelphia.

In the 18th century, John Ponds (1701-1787) was a well-known English clockmaker and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of the marine chronometer, a crucial navigational instrument used by sailors.

Moving into the 19th century, we have Mary Ponds (1811-1892), an English philanthropist and social reformer who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the working class in London.

Finally, in the 20th century, Sir Desmond Ponds (1919-2003) was a renowned British diplomat and author, serving as the British Ambassador to various countries and writing several books on international affairs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ponds

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

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

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