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

Poplar, 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 Poplar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poplar in America

Poplar is the 40856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poplar surname appeared 534 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 Poplar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poplar 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 Poplar

The surname Poplar is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "popel" or "popul," which referred to the poplar tree. This name likely originated as a topographic surname, given to someone who lived near or owned land with a significant number of poplar trees growing on it.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Poplar can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Popelere," indicating that the bearer was associated with or lived near poplar trees. This entry provides evidence of the name's existence in England during the 11th century.

During the medieval period, the name Poplar was predominantly found in various regions of England, particularly in counties like Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire, where poplar trees were abundant. The name may have also been adopted by those who worked with or traded in poplar wood.

In the 14th century, a John Poplar was recorded as a landowner in the village of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Another notable bearer of the name was William Poplar, a merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 15th century and was involved in trade with the Netherlands.

In the 16th century, the name Poplar appeared in various spellings, such as Popeler, Poplere, and Popler, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that era. One notable individual with this surname was Robert Poplar (1548-1612), a clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Warwick.

The 17th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the surname Poplar. One such person was Thomas Poplar (1604-1673), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who was instrumental in the development of the city of Gloucester.

In the 18th century, the name Poplar was closely associated with the town of Poplar, located in the East End of London. This area was named after the abundance of poplar trees that once grew there. One notable figure from this period was John Poplar (1720-1789), a successful shipbuilder and merchant who established a thriving business in the Poplar docks.

Throughout the 19th century, the surname Poplar continued to be found in various parts of England, with individuals like Charles Poplar (1812-1876), a prominent industrialist from Birmingham, and William Poplar (1841-1916), a respected educator and headmaster of a prestigious school in London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poplar

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

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

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

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