2000
#7,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Poon
A Chinese occupational surname referring to an official in charge of education or one who delivers goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,229 Americans carry the last name Poon. That puts it at #7,080 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,549 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poon 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 Poon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,549
Census rank
#7,080
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,560 bearers of the surname Poon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7080th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poon, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poon
The surname POON originated in China and has its roots in the Cantonese language. It is derived from the Chinese word "poon," which means "a fountain" or "a spring." The name was initially associated with individuals who lived near a natural water source or a well.
The earliest recorded mentions of the POON surname can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) in the regions of Guangdong and Guangxi in southern China. During this period, the name appeared in various local records and documents.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named POON Kwan-yu (1249-1333) was a renowned scholar and poet. He was born in Guangdong Province and is known for his contributions to Chinese literature and philosophy.
The POON surname later spread to other parts of China, including Hong Kong and Macau, as people migrated and settled in new areas. It is also found in overseas Chinese communities, particularly in Southeast Asia and North America.
One notable individual with the POON surname was POON Lim (1918-1991), a Chinese-British sailor who survived 133 days adrift on a small raft in the Atlantic Ocean after his ship was sunk during World War II. His remarkable story of survival is well-documented.
Another individual of historical significance was POON Tsz-hing (1890-1968), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Hong Kong. He was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and charitable organizations in the region.
In the realm of sports, POON Kin-shing (born 1963) is a former professional football (soccer) player from Hong Kong. He represented the Hong Kong national team and played for various clubs in Asia during his career.
The POON surname has also been associated with various place names in China, such as Poon Chau (a small island in Hong Kong) and Poon Chau Village (a village in Guangdong Province).
Over time, the POON surname has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Pun, Pung, and Phoon, due to differences in romanization and regional dialects. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Chinese language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poon
Among Census respondents with the surname Poon, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Poon 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 Poon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.7% · 4,135
- Two or more races4.0% · 181
- White2.3% · 106
- Black or African American1.7% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poon
Poon 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
#7,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,564
+513 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 262 places
2020
#7,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,560
-4 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 228 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,570 | 4,051 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,308 | 4,564 | 1.55 | +513 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 262 places |
| 2020 | #7,080 | 4,560 | 1.53 | -4 bearers (-0.1%) | Up 228 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 Poon 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 | #7,308 | #7,080 | 3.1% |
| Count | 4,564 | 4,560 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.53 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poon bearers went from 4,564 to 4,560 (-0.1% change). The surname moved up 228 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,308 to #7,080.
FAQ
Poon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poon?
Name Census estimates that about 5,229 living Americans carry the surname Poon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,549 residents.
How common is Poon?
Poon ranks #7,080 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,560 people with the surname Poon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Poon.
Has Poon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poon went from 4,564 recorded bearers to 4,560. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,308 to #7,080.
What does the Census say about the background of Poon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poon, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Poon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (4,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%), White (2.3%). 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 Poon (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 Poon mean?
A Chinese occupational surname referring to an official in charge of education or one who delivers goods. 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 Poon (1.53 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 Americans have the surname Poon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.