2000
#8,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,785
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Poss
A German occupational surname referring to someone who acted as a jester or clown.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,358 Americans carry the last name Poss. That puts it at #10,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,071 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poss 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
3.4K
1 in 102,071
Census rank
#10,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,928 bearers of the surname Poss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poss
The surname POSS is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locative name, derived from the Old English word "poss," which referred to a small clump or tuft of grass or vegetation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name POSS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Possa," referring to a landowner or resident of a place called Possa, likely a settlement or hamlet named after its grassy or vegetated surroundings.
During the Middle Ages, the name POSS was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where several villages and hamlets bore variations of the name, such as Possa, Posse, and Possingham. These place names likely stemmed from the Old English words "poss" or "possan," indicating a grassy or tufted area.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard de Possa, a landowner in the village of Possa in Yorkshire. Another early bearer of the name was John atte Posse, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273.
During the Tudor period, the name POSS was found in various spellings, including Posse, Poss, and Possey. One notable figure from this era was Sir John Poss (c. 1500-1571), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, who served as the Sheriff of York in 1556.
In the 17th century, the POSS surname was well-established in various parts of England, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Richard Poss (1618-1686), a prominent Puritan minister and author from Suffolk, known for his work "The Doctrine of Assurance Explained and Vindicated."
Another prominent individual was William Poss (1670-1738), a renowned English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Twickenham and Stanmer House in Sussex.
As the centuries passed, the POSS surname continued to spread and evolve, with various branches emerging in different regions of England and beyond. While the name's origins can be traced back to the early medieval period, its enduring presence throughout history reflects the diverse and rich tapestry of English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poss
Among Census respondents with the surname Poss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Poss 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 Poss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,719
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 86
- Two or more races2.5% · 74
- Black or African American0.8% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poss
Poss 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
#10,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,209
-576 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 1,964 places
2020
#10,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,928
-281 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 429 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,072 | 3,785 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,036 | 3,209 | 1.09 | -576 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 1,964 places |
| 2020 | #10,465 | 2,928 | 0.98 | -281 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 429 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 Poss 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 | #10,036 | #10,465 | -4.3% |
| Count | 3,209 | 2,928 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.98 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poss bearers went from 3,209 to 2,928 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 429 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,036 to #10,465.
FAQ
Poss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poss?
Name Census estimates that about 3,358 living Americans carry the surname Poss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,071 residents.
How common is Poss?
Poss ranks #10,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,928 people with the surname Poss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,358), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Poss.
Has Poss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poss went from 3,209 recorded bearers to 2,928. That is a decrease of 281 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,036 to #10,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Poss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Poss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (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 Poss (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 Poss mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who acted as a jester or clown. 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 Poss (0.98 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 common is the surname Poss?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Poss, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.