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

Poston, 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 Poston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poston in America

Poston is the 3434th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poston surname appeared 10,396 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Poston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poston 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 Poston

The surname Poston is an English habitation name derived from the place name Poston, a small village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The name is thought to originate from the Old English words "post" meaning a post or stake, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, suggesting it may have referred to a fenced or enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Poston can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a collection of financial records from the late 12th century, where a Robert de Poston is mentioned. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded landowners in England, listing a Thomas de Poston as a landowner in Yorkshire.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Pouston, Poustun, and Poustonne, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that period. One notable individual from this era was William Poston, born around 1520 in Yorkshire, who served as a member of the English Parliament.

Moving into the 17th century, the Poston family spread beyond Yorkshire, with records showing individuals with the surname in other parts of England. One such individual was John Poston, born in 1612 in Gloucestershire, who was a prominent merchant and landowner.

The 18th century saw the name gain further recognition, with the birth of William Poston in 1745 in Shropshire. He went on to become a renowned mathematician and astronomer, making significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

In the 19th century, the Poston name continued to be well-represented, with individuals such as James Poston (1800-1872), a successful industrialist from Lancashire, and Mary Poston (1832-1912), a celebrated novelist and poet from Yorkshire.

While the name Poston is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English surnames, with its origins rooted in the small village of Poston and the history of the Yorkshire region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poston

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

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

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

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