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

Ponton, 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 Ponton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ponton in America

Ponton is the 13255th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ponton surname appeared 2,303 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ponton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ponton 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 Ponton

The surname Ponton is of French origin, deriving from the Old French word "pont," meaning bridge. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century as a designation for someone who lived near a bridge or worked as a bridge keeper or toll collector.

In medieval times, the name was often spelled variations such as Pontoun, Ponthon, or Ponthun. It first appeared in records from the region of Normandy, France, where many place names incorporated the word "pont," such as Pontorson and Pont-Audemer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ponton surname can be found in the 13th century Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire, England, where a Peter de Ponton is mentioned. This suggests that individuals with this surname had already migrated to England by that time.

Notable historical figures bearing the Ponton surname include Jean Ponton (c. 1470-1540), a French philosopher and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Paris. Another prominent individual was Arnaud de Ponton (1472-1515), a French jurist and diplomat who played a significant role in the Council of Pisa.

In the 16th century, the Ponton family established themselves in Scotland, where they held lands in the county of Fife. One notable member of this Scottish branch was Sir John Ponton (1609-1658), a lawyer and advocate who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1649 to 1651.

Moving forward to the 17th century, Mungo Ponton (1624-1681) was a Scottish minister and religious writer who authored several works on theology and church governance. Another notable figure was Robert Ponton (1680-1738), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several battles during the War of the Spanish Succession.

While the Ponton surname may have originated in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including England, Scotland, and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in diverse fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ponton

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ponton, please contact us.

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