2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pontoon
A surname derived from the French word "ponton" referring to a barge or flat-bottomed boat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Pontoon. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pontoon 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Pontoon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pontoon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and White (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pontoon
The surname Pontoon originated in France during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old French word "pont," meaning "bridge," and likely referred to someone who lived near a bridge or was involved in bridge construction or maintenance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pontoon can be found in the Calendars of Patent Rolls from the reign of King Edward III, dated around 1350, which mentions a person named Richard Pontoun. Another early record is a reference to a Johannis Pontoun in the tax rolls of Cambridgeshire, England, from 1379.
The name Pontoon was also found in various forms in medieval records, such as Ponten, Pontain, and Ponteyn. These variations suggest that the name may have originated from different regions of France or been influenced by local dialects.
One notable bearer of the Pontoon surname was Sir John Pontoon (c. 1520-1592), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as an ambassador to various European courts and was instrumental in negotiating treaties and alliances.
Another historical figure with this surname was Françoise Pontoon (1594-1677), a French noblewoman and courtier at the court of King Louis XIII. She was known for her influential role in court politics and her patronage of the arts.
In the 17th century, the Pontoon family established themselves in the American colonies, with records showing a William Pontoon arriving in Virginia in 1635. This branch of the family played a role in the early development of the colony and the eventual formation of the United States.
Other notable individuals with the Pontoon surname include:
1. Jacques Pontoon (1658-1742), a French explorer and fur trader who was among the first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes region of North America.
2. Marie-Antoinette Pontoon (1755-1793), a French aristocrat and wife of King Louis XVI, executed during the French Revolution.
3. Charles Pontoon (1824-1892), an American businessman and industrialist who founded the Pontoon Steel Company, one of the largest steel manufacturers of the 19th century.
4. Émile Pontoon (1867-1944), a French painter and sculptor associated with the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements.
5. Juliette Pontoon (1901-1975), a French resistance fighter during World War II and recipient of the Croix de Guerre for her bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pontoon
Among Census respondents with the surname Pontoon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and White (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pontoon 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 Pontoon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.8% · 95
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- White4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pontoon
Pontoon 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+7 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,204 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 2,204 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Pontoon 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 | #151,532 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pontoon bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Pontoon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pontoon?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Pontoon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Pontoon?
Pontoon ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Pontoon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pontoon.
Has Pontoon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pontoon went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Pontoon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pontoon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and White (4.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pontoon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pontoon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (84.8%), Two or More Races (6.3%), White (4.5%). 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 Pontoon (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 Pontoon mean?
A surname derived from the French word "ponton" referring to a barge or flat-bottomed boat. 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 Pontoon (0.04 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 Pontoon?
Want to know how many people are called Pontoon? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.