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

Porteous, 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 Porteous surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Porteous in America

Porteous is the 25255th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Porteous surname appeared 981 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 Porteous.

We can also compare 2010 data for Porteous 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 Porteous

The surname Porteous has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "Portair," meaning "porter" or "gatekeeper." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who held positions as gatekeepers or doorkeepers at castles, churches, or other important buildings.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, which dates back to the year 1547. In this record, a man named James Porteous is mentioned, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.

The name Porteous also appears in various historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, in the records of the Scottish Church, there are mentions of individuals bearing the surname, such as John Porteous, who was born in 1685 and served as a minister in the parish of Kilspindie.

Another notable bearer of the name was Captain John Porteous, a British military officer who lived from 1695 to 1736. He gained notoriety for his involvement in the Porteous Riots, a series of violent protests that took place in Edinburgh in 1736 after he ordered his troops to fire upon a crowd of spectators at a public execution.

In the literary world, the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) wrote a novel titled "The Body Snatcher" in 1884, which featured a character named Mr. Porteous, a respected member of the community who was involved in the trade of cadavers for medical research.

Another famous bearer of the surname was Sir William Porteous (1857-1951), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Glasgow. He served as Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1911 to 1917.

The Porteous name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Porteous Croft and Porteous Burn, which are located in the Scottish Borders region. These place names may have been derived from individuals bearing the surname who lived or had landholdings in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Porteous

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

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

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

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