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

Poovey, 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 Poovey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poovey in America

Poovey is the 33695th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poovey surname appeared 676 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Poovey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poovey 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 Poovey

The surname Poovey has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "puffe," which means "to puff" or "to blow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a bellows-maker or a blacksmith.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Poovey can be found in the parish records of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, Warwickshire, where a certain John Poovey was christened in 1598. The name also appears in the Hearth Tax Returns for the county of Staffordshire in 1666, indicating that the family had established roots in the West Midlands region of England by that time.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Poovey family settled in the village of Eccleshall, Staffordshire. This is evidenced by the marriage record of William Poovey and Mary Wilcox in Eccleshall in 1685. The couple's descendants continued to live in the area for several generations, and some of their tombstones can still be found in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church in Eccleshall.

One notable individual bearing the surname Poovey was Sir Thomas Poovey (1715-1798), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire. He was known for his philanthropic efforts, having funded the construction of several schools and almshouses in the region.

Another significant figure was John Poovey (1787-1856), a renowned landscape painter who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. His works, which often depicted rural scenes from the English countryside, were highly sought after during his lifetime and can now be found in several art galleries and private collections.

In the 19th century, the Poovey family began to spread beyond the West Midlands region. Edward Poovey (1810-1892), a farmer from Shropshire, emigrated to the United States in the 1850s, settling in Ohio. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, contributing to the growth and diversity of the Poovey name in America.

Mary Poovey (1853-1931), a writer and educator from Gloucestershire, was another notable figure. She was a pioneering advocate for women's education and wrote several books on the subject, including "The Higher Education of Women" (1892) and "The Position of Women in the Established Church" (1898).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poovey

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

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

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

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