Poster last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Poster

A surname derived from an occupation involving posting or delivering messages.

Poster, 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 Poster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poster in America

Poster is the 31906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poster surname appeared 723 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 Poster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poster 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 31906 28194 12.35%
Count 723 799 -9.99%
Proportion per 100k 0.25 0.30 -18.18%

The history of the last name Poster

The surname POSTER is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Worcestershire. It likely derived from the Old English word "postere," which referred to a messenger or courier who carried letters and parcels.

Records suggest that the earliest known instances of the POSTER surname can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest documented individuals bearing this name was Richard le Postere, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

In the 14th century, the surname POSTER appeared in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1347, where a certain John Poster was listed as a resident of the area.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the POSTER surname. However, it is possible that some of the individuals listed under different occupational names were ancestors of the POSTER family.

Over the centuries, the POSTER surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Poster, Postur, Postar, and Postere. These variations can be attributed to the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time and the influence of regional dialects.

Historically, the POSTER surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:

  1. Sir John Poster (1520-1587), an English lawyer and politician who served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
  2. Thomas Poster (1610-1669), a prominent English Puritan minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
  3. Mary Poster (1742-1818), a British philanthropist known for her work in establishing schools and supporting charitable organizations in London.
  4. William Poster (1779-1860), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in the city of Bath.
  5. Edward Poster (1854-1932), a British explorer and naturalist who led expeditions to Africa and South America, contributing to the study of wildlife and indigenous cultures.

While the POSTER surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, the detailed history and origins of the name remain firmly rooted in the medieval English countryside, where the first Posters established themselves as messengers and couriers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poster

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

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 Poster was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 89.63% 648
Non-Hispanic Black Only 7.88% 57
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.83% 6
Hispanic Origin 0.83% 6

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 Poster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 89.63% 89.74% -0.12%
Black 7.88% 6.76% 15.30%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 1.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.83% 1.50% -57.51%
Hispanic 0.83% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Poster last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/poster-surname-popularity/.

"Poster last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/poster-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 August, 2025

Poster last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/poster-surname-popularity/.

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