2000
#832
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.97
Uncommon Last name
Potts
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of drinking and storage vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,744 Americans carry the last name Potts. That puts it at #942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Potts 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Potts with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,211
Census rank
#942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,403 bearers of the surname Potts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Potts, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Potts
The surname Potts is derived from the Olde English pre 7th century word "Pott", meaning a deep hole or pit. It originated in northern England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name may have described someone who lived near a deep hole or pit, or perhaps worked in occupations associated with pits or quarries.
One of the earliest known references to the surname is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pot". Over time, various spellings emerged, such as Potte, Pott, and eventually Potts. The addition of the "s" suffix was common in English surnames to denote possession or association.
In the 13th century, records show a John Potte in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. Another early bearer was Richard Potte, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. These early records demonstrate the surname's presence in different regions of England.
The name Potts can also be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where a William Pottis is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the fluid nature of surnames during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Potts include John Potts (c.1438-1505), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1505. Another prominent figure was Sir John Potts (1585-1637), an English judge and member of the House of Commons.
In Scotland, the name Potts is associated with the village of Potts in Berwickshire, which may have influenced the surname's prevalence in that region. One notable bearer was Annandale Potts (1683-1767), a Scottish lawyer and historian who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Thomas Potts (c.1635-1683), an English Quaker who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent landowner and public figure.
Another notable American was Jonathan Potts (1745-1810), a Revolutionary War soldier and member of the Continental Congress. His grandson, James Henry Potts (1824-1868), was a prominent Baptist minister and author.
These examples illustrate the widespread distribution and historical significance of the surname Potts, originating from the northern English counties and spanning various regions and historical periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Potts
Among Census respondents with the surname Potts, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Potts 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 Potts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 27,815
- Black or African American14.0% · 5,085
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,666
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,155
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 455
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 227
Timeline
Historical Census data for Potts
Potts 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
#902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,277
+590 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 12.98
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,403
-1,874 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 12.18
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #832 | 37,687 | 13.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #902 | 38,277 | 12.98 | +590 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #942 | 36,403 | 12.18 | -1,874 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 40 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 Potts 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 | #902 | #942 | -4.4% |
| Count | 38,277 | 36,403 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 12.98 | 12.18 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Potts bearers went from 38,277 to 36,403 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #902 to #942.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Potts
FAQ
Potts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Potts?
Name Census estimates that about 41,744 living Americans carry the surname Potts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,211 residents.
How common is Potts?
Potts ranks #942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,403 people with the surname Potts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,744), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Potts.
Has Potts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Potts went from 38,277 recorded bearers to 36,403. That is a decrease of 1,874 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #902 to #942.
What does the Census say about the background of Potts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Potts, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Potts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (27,815 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Potts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Potts (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 Potts mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of drinking and storage 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 Potts (12.18 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 Americans have the surname Potts?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.