2000
#7,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Poteet
A French occupational surname derived from a diminutive of "pot," referring to a maker or seller of drinking vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,558 Americans carry the last name Poteet. That puts it at #7,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,198 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poteet 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
4.6K
1 in 75,198
Census rank
#7,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,975 bearers of the surname Poteet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poteet, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poteet
The surname Poteet has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "potée," which referred to a type of thick, hearty soup or stew made with vegetables and sometimes meat or fish. The name likely referred to someone who prepared or sold this dish, suggesting an occupation or trade associated with the name's origin.
The earliest recorded instance of the Poteet surname dates back to a French census record from the year 1567, which lists a family by the name of Poteet residing in the village of Béziers, located in the southern region of Languedoc. It is possible that the name may have originated in this area or nearby regions, as many surnames in France were initially based on occupations or locales.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical documents from the Normandy region of France, particularly in the town of Caen. One notable example is a record from 1642 mentioning a Pierre Poteet, a merchant and landowner in the area. This suggests that by this time, the Poteet family had established roots and potentially attained a certain level of prominence and wealth.
The Poteet surname eventually spread beyond France, with some individuals bearing the name migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One early example of the name in the United States can be found in the records of the Virginia colony, where a Jean Poteet is documented as having arrived from France in the late 1600s.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Poteet surname. One such figure was Étienne Poteet (1720-1795), a French philosopher and writer who published extensively on topics of ethics and morality. Another was Jacques Poteet (1810-1872), a French artist known for his landscapes and portraiture during the Romantic period.
In the United States, one prominent individual was Samuel Poteet (1834-1908), a businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, in the late 19th century. Additionally, Mary Poteet (1862-1943), an American educator and women's rights activist, played a significant role in the suffrage movement and the advancement of educational opportunities for women.
Lastly, a more recent figure was Robert Poteet (1918-2000), an American actor and writer best known for his roles in several Western films and television shows in the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poteet
Among Census respondents with the surname Poteet, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Poteet 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 Poteet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 3,537
- Two or more races4.4% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 48
- Black or African American0.9% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poteet
Poteet 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
#7,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,353
+31 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 496 places
2020
#7,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,975
-378 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 368 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,129 | 4,322 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,625 | 4,353 | 1.48 | +31 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 496 places |
| 2020 | #7,993 | 3,975 | 1.33 | -378 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 368 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 Poteet 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 | #7,625 | #7,993 | -4.8% |
| Count | 4,353 | 3,975 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.33 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poteet bearers went from 4,353 to 3,975 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 368 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,625 to #7,993.
FAQ
Poteet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poteet?
Name Census estimates that about 4,558 living Americans carry the surname Poteet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,198 residents.
How common is Poteet?
Poteet ranks #7,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,975 people with the surname Poteet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Poteet.
Has Poteet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poteet went from 4,353 recorded bearers to 3,975. That is a decrease of 378 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,625 to #7,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Poteet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poteet, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Poteet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (3,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poteet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Poteet (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 Poteet mean?
A French occupational surname derived from a diminutive of "pot," referring to a maker or seller of drinking vessels. 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 Poteet (1.33 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 Poteet?
Want to know how many people have the surname Poteet? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.