2000
#13,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Pons
A French toponymic surname derived from any of various places named Pons, meaning "bridge" in French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,648 Americans carry the last name Pons. That puts it at #12,759 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,439 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pons 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 Pons with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 129,439
Census rank
#12,759
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,309 bearers of the surname Pons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12759th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pons, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.7%. The next largest groups are White (43.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pons
The surname PONS has its origins in the Latin language, where it referred to a bridge or passage. It is believed to have first emerged as a surname in France during the Middle Ages, particularly in the southern regions of Provence and Languedoc.
In the early medieval period, the name PONS was often used as a topographic surname, indicating that the original bearer lived near a bridge or crossing point. It could also have been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a bridge builder or toll collector.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PONS surname can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 11th century. This document mentions several individuals bearing the PONS name, including a certain Pontius PONS who lived in the region of Marseille.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the PONS surname became more widespread across various parts of Europe. In England, the name appeared in its anglicized form as "Pounce" or "Pownce," as evidenced in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a record of landholders compiled in 1273.
Notable historical figures with the PONS surname include Arnaud de PONS (c. 1235-1298), a French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Eighth Crusade. Another prominent bearer of the name was Jean PONS (1528-1589), a French Catholic theologian and scholar who played a significant role in the Counter-Reformation.
In Italy, the PONS surname can be traced back to the 14th century, with records showing individuals bearing the name in various regions, including Venice and Florence. One notable Italian bearer of the PONS name was Pietro PONS (1675-1743), a renowned architect and sculptor from the city of Genoa.
Moving into the 15th and 16th centuries, the PONS surname continued to spread across Europe. In Spain, there are records of individuals with the surname PONS in Catalonia and Valencia, potentially indicating a connection to the Occitan-speaking regions of southern France.
Other historical figures of note include Jean-Louis PONS (1761-1831), a French astronomer who discovered several comets and asteroids, and Louis-André PONS (1789-1855), a French botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Mediterranean region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pons
Among Census respondents with the surname Pons, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.7%. The next largest groups are White (43.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pons 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 Pons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino51.7% · 1,194
- White43.0% · 992
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 67
- Two or more races1.8% · 42
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pons
Pons 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
#12,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,384
+255 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 268 places
2020
#12,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,309
-75 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,165 | 2,129 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,897 | 2,384 | 0.81 | +255 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 268 places |
| 2020 | #12,759 | 2,309 | 0.77 | -75 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 138 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 Pons 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 | #12,897 | #12,759 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,384 | 2,309 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.77 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pons bearers went from 2,384 to 2,309 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,897 to #12,759.
FAQ
Pons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pons?
Name Census estimates that about 2,648 living Americans carry the surname Pons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,439 residents.
How common is Pons?
Pons ranks #12,759 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,309 people with the surname Pons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,648), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pons.
Has Pons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pons went from 2,384 recorded bearers to 2,309. That is a decrease of 75 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,897 to #12,759.
What does the Census say about the background of Pons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pons, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.7%. The next largest groups are White (43.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Pons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.7% (1,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (51.7%), White (43.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Pons (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 Pons mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from any of various places named Pons, meaning "bridge" in French. 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 Pons (0.77 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 many people have the surname Pons?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.