2000
#9,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Poor
An English status surname referring to an impoverished person or someone of humble origins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,446 Americans carry the last name Poor. That puts it at #10,209 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poor 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 Poor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,464
Census rank
#10,209
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,005 bearers of the surname Poor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10209th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poor
The surname Poor originated in England in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "pore," meaning poor or impoverished. The earliest recorded use of the name was in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where a man named Richard le Pore was mentioned.
In medieval England, surnames often denoted a person's occupation, physical appearance, or social status. The name Poor likely referred to someone who was of humble means or lived in poverty. It may have been a descriptive nickname given to a person who was considered poor or destitute.
The surname Poor can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a Ralph le Poure in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 mention a John le Pore.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Poor was John le Poor, who was listed in the Patent Rolls of 1330 as a merchant from Bristol. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Pore, a Member of Parliament for Salisbury in 1376.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Poor became more widespread across England. Variations in spelling emerged, such as Poore, Poare, and Poar. Notable individuals from this period include Sir Henry Poore (1541-1628), an English lawyer and landowner, and John Poore (1615-1683), a Puritan minister and co-founder of the town of Newbury, Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Poor (1728-1809) was a notable American soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Andover, Massachusetts, and fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Another prominent individual with the surname Poor was John Alfred Poor (1808-1900), an American engineer and writer who published several books on railway construction and management. He was also the founder of the Poor's Manual of Railroads, a widely-used reference publication for the railroad industry.
Throughout history, the surname Poor has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, landowners, soldiers, ministers, and writers. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings, it has been borne by many accomplished individuals over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poor
Among Census respondents with the surname Poor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Poor 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 Poor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,689
- Two or more races3.8% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poor
Poor 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
#9,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,303
+18 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 671 places
2020
#10,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,005
-298 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 409 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,129 | 3,285 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,800 | 3,303 | 1.12 | +18 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 671 places |
| 2020 | #10,209 | 3,005 | 1.01 | -298 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 409 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 Poor 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 | #9,800 | #10,209 | -4.2% |
| Count | 3,303 | 3,005 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.01 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poor bearers went from 3,303 to 3,005 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 409 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,800 to #10,209.
FAQ
Poor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poor?
Name Census estimates that about 3,446 living Americans carry the surname Poor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,464 residents.
How common is Poor?
Poor ranks #10,209 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,005 people with the surname Poor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,446), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Poor.
Has Poor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poor went from 3,303 recorded bearers to 3,005. That is a decrease of 298 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,800 to #10,209.
What does the Census say about the background of Poor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Poor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,689 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Poor (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 Poor mean?
An English status surname referring to an impoverished person or someone of humble origins. 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 Poor (1.01 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 share the surname Poor?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.