2000
#86,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Ponson
A surname derived from the Latin "pontius," meaning bridge-keeper or toll collector.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 266 Americans carry the last name Ponson. That puts it at #86,457 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,288,550 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ponson 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
266
1 in 1,288,550
Census rank
#86,457
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
232
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 232 bearers of the surname Ponson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 86457th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ponson
The surname PONSON has its origins in France, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to derive from the Old French word "poncen," which referred to a type of reddish-brown color used in dyes and paints. This connection suggests the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a dyer or painter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PONSON name can be found in the Rolle des Fiefs du Comté de Ponthieu, a medieval document from the late 13th century that listed the names of landowners and their holdings in the county of Ponthieu in northern France. This indicates that the name was well-established in that region during that time period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Jean PONSON (c. 1420-1492) was a French lawyer and judge who served as the Lieutenant General of the Bailiwick of Amiens, a prestigious judicial position in the region of Picardy. His prominence further solidified the name's presence in northern France.
During the 16th century, the PONSON name appeared in various records across France, including the works of the French poet and playwright Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585), who referenced a character named PONSON in one of his poems.
In the 17th century, a man named Jacques PONSON (1590-1662) was a renowned French artist and engraver who worked for the court of Louis XIII. He is considered one of the most accomplished engravers of his time and his works are held in numerous museum collections.
Another notable individual with the PONSON surname was François PONSON (1732-1807), a French architect and urban planner who was responsible for designing several important buildings and public works projects in Paris during the late 18th century.
The PONSON name has also been associated with various places in France, such as the commune of Ponson-Dessus in the department of Hautes-Alpes, and the village of Ponson-Debat in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées. These place names may have contributed to the further spread and variations of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ponson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ponson 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 Ponson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.2% · 149
- Black or African American27.6% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 12
- Two or more races1.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ponson
Ponson 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
#92,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,366 places
2020
#86,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 232
+33 bearers (+16.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 5,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,992 | 199 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #92,358 | 199 | 0.07 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,366 places |
| 2020 | #86,457 | 232 | 0.08 | +33 bearers (+16.6%) | Up 5,901 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 Ponson 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 | #92,358 | #86,457 | 6.4% |
| Count | 199 | 232 | 16.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ponson bearers went from 199 to 232 (+16.6% change). The surname moved up 5,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #92,358 to #86,457.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ponson
FAQ
Ponson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ponson?
Name Census estimates that about 266 living Americans carry the surname Ponson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,288,550 residents.
How common is Ponson?
Ponson ranks #86,457 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 232 people with the surname Ponson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Ponson.
Has Ponson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ponson went from 199 recorded bearers to 232. That is an increase of 33 (+16.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #92,358 to #86,457.
What does the Census say about the background of Ponson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ponson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Ponson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.2% (149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ponson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.2%), Black (27.6%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Ponson (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 Ponson mean?
A surname derived from the Latin "pontius," meaning bridge-keeper or toll collector. 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 Ponson (0.08 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 are called Ponson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Ponson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.