2000
#9,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Poteat
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "pot eater," referring to someone with a hearty appetite.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,672 Americans carry the last name Poteat. That puts it at #9,678 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,343 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poteat 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
3.7K
1 in 93,343
Census rank
#9,678
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,202 bearers of the surname Poteat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9678th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poteat, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poteat
The surname Poteat is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the Normandy region, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "potier," which means "potter" or "maker of pots." This suggests that the name was likely associated with a trade or occupation related to pottery.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name Poteat dates back to the 11th century in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Potier," "Pottier," and "Pottere," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and orthography of the time.
During the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, many Norman families, including those bearing the name Poteat or its variants, accompanied William the Conqueror and settled in various parts of the British Isles. Records from the 12th century indicate the presence of individuals with the surname Poteat in regions like Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
One notable figure in history associated with the name Poteat was John Poteat (c. 1350-1420), a prominent merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, England. He was a member of the Guild of Potteries and played a significant role in the local pottery industry. Another historical figure was William Poteat (c. 1470-1542), a wealthy landowner and benefactor who contributed to the construction of St. Mary's Church in Cheltenham.
In the 16th century, the name Poteat appeared in various records across England, including parish registers and court documents. During this period, the spelling of the name became more standardized, often appearing as "Poteat" or "Pottit." One notable individual from this era was Thomas Poteat (c. 1520-1587), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Peace in Wiltshire.
As the centuries progressed, the Poteat family continued to expand across England and beyond. In the 18th century, several members of the family were involved in the textile industry, particularly in the production of wool and linen. One noteworthy figure from this period was James Poteat (1710-1778), a successful wool merchant and landowner from Yorkshire.
Another significant person bearing the surname Poteat was Sir William Poteat (1805-1885), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral and served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War. He was awarded several honors for his distinguished service, including the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poteat
Among Census respondents with the surname Poteat, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Poteat 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 Poteat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.9% · 1,887
- Black or African American32.5% · 1,041
- Two or more races5.0% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poteat
Poteat 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
#9,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,465
+165 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#9,678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,202
-263 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,102 | 3,300 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,384 | 3,465 | 1.17 | +165 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #9,678 | 3,202 | 1.07 | -263 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 294 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 Poteat 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 | #9,384 | #9,678 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,465 | 3,202 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.07 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poteat bearers went from 3,465 to 3,202 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,384 to #9,678.
FAQ
Poteat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poteat?
Name Census estimates that about 3,672 living Americans carry the surname Poteat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,343 residents.
How common is Poteat?
Poteat ranks #9,678 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,202 people with the surname Poteat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,672), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Poteat.
Has Poteat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poteat went from 3,465 recorded bearers to 3,202. That is a decrease of 263 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,384 to #9,678.
What does the Census say about the background of Poteat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poteat, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Poteat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.9% (1,887 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poteat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.9%), Black (32.5%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Poteat (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 Poteat mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "pot eater," referring to someone with a hearty appetite. 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 Poteat (1.07 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 are called Poteat?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Poteat at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.