2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pordon
An archaic Spanish surname referring to someone who pardons or forgives others.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Pordon. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pordon 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Pordon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pordon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pordon
The surname Pordon is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "por" meaning "swine" or "pig" and "don" meaning "hill" or "mound." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname referring to someone who lived near a pig hill or mound.
In the 12th century, the name appeared in various records from the Normandy region of France, with spellings such as Pourdon, Pordeaun, and Pordoun. The earliest known record of the name is found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Wandrille, a cartulary from the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille in Normandy, dated around 1150.
The name Pordon can also be traced back to the village of Pordon in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. This village likely took its name from a similar descriptive term referring to a pig hill or mound in the area.
One notable figure with the surname Pordon was Jean Pordon, a French baker and merchant who lived in Rouen in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several municipal records from the city during that time period.
Another early record of the name comes from the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in England, which mention a William Purdon (an early English spelling variation) in the year 1236.
In the 16th century, the name Pordon appeared in the records of the Huguenot diaspora, as many French Protestants fled religious persecution and settled in various parts of Europe and the New World. One such individual was Pierre Pordon, a Huguenot refugee who settled in Strasbourg, Germany in the 1570s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Pordon surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. Notable individuals from this time period include:
1. Michel Pordon (1638-1712), a French Catholic priest and theologian from Burgundy.
2. John Pordon (1677-1743), an English merchant and landowner from Dorset.
3. Hans Pordon (1712-1788), a German clockmaker and inventor from Saxony.
4. Maria Pordon (1745-1821), a Spanish painter and portraitist from Madrid.
5. James Pordon (1773-1848), a Scottish soldier and explorer who served in the British East India Company.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pordon
Among Census respondents with the surname Pordon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pordon 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 Pordon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pordon
Pordon 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-16 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,173 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+17 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 26,173 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 15,644 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 Pordon 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 | #158,432 | #142,788 | 9.9% |
| Count | 102 | 119 | 16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pordon bearers went from 102 to 119 (+16.7% change). The surname moved up 15,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #142,788.
FAQ
Pordon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pordon?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Pordon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Pordon?
Pordon ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Pordon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Pordon.
Has Pordon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pordon went from 102 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 17 (+16.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Pordon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pordon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pordon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pordon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Pordon (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 Pordon mean?
An archaic Spanish surname referring to someone who pardons or forgives others. 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 Pordon (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 many people share the surname Pordon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.