2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Portteus
A Scottish surname derived from a village name, likely referring to someone from the town of Portteous.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Portteus. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Portteus 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Portteus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Portteus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Portteus
The surname PORTTEUS has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Scottish territorial name 'Porteous', which itself is derived from the Old French word 'portier', meaning a gatekeeper or doorkeeper. This name was likely given to someone who held the position of gatekeeper in a town or castle.
PORTTEUS is believed to have first appeared in records in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the areas around Edinburgh and the Borders region. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1567 Edinburgh Parish Records, where a man named John Porteous is mentioned.
In the 17th century, the name PORTTEUS appeared in several historical documents, including the Dunfermline Register of 1642, which lists a William Portteus. The name is also found in the Canongate Parish Register of 1685, where a James Portteus is recorded.
One notable figure in history with the surname PORTTEUS was Captain John Portteus (c. 1695-1736), a soldier in the British Army who was hanged in Edinburgh for his role in the Porteous Riots of 1736. The riots were sparked by the controversial execution of a smuggler, and Portteus was blamed for ordering his troops to fire on the crowd, resulting in several deaths.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Robert Portteus (1771-1808), a Scottish poet and author who wrote several works, including "The Purgatory of Suicides" and "The Grave, A Poem". He was born in Peterhead and is considered one of the significant writers of the Scottish Enlightenment period.
In the 19th century, Sir William Portteus (1829-1898) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He was born in Falkirk and was knighted in 1887 for his contributions to the local community.
The PORTTEUS surname has also been found in various place names and older spellings of place names, such as Porteus House, a historic building in Edinburgh, and the village of Porteous in Dumfriesshire, which likely took its name from the surname.
While the PORTTEUS name has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish emigration. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to this surname can be traced back to its Scottish origins in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Portteus
Among Census respondents with the surname Portteus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Portteus 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 Portteus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 101
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Portteus
Portteus appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 6,793 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 Portteus 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 | #151,639 | 4.3% |
| Count | 102 | 107 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Portteus bearers went from 102 to 107 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #151,639.
FAQ
Portteus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Portteus?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Portteus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Portteus?
Portteus ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Portteus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Portteus.
Has Portteus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Portteus went from 102 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 5 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Portteus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Portteus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Portteus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Portteus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Portteus (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 Portteus mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a village name, likely referring to someone from the town of Portteous. 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 Portteus (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 have the surname Portteus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.