2000
#11,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Potvin
A French toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a vineyard or grape vine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,836 Americans carry the last name Potvin. That puts it at #12,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,858 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Potvin 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
2.8K
1 in 120,858
Census rank
#12,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,473 bearers of the surname Potvin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Potvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Potvin
The surname POTVIN originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "pot" and "vin," meaning "pot" and "wine," respectively. The name was likely given to someone who worked as a wine merchant or innkeeper.
The earliest recorded instances of the POTVIN surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the Normandy region of northern France. In medieval manuscripts, the name is sometimes spelled as "Potuvin" or "Pottevin."
One of the earliest known bearers of the POTVIN name was Raoul Potvin, a merchant from the town of Rouen who lived in the late 13th century. His name appears in several records from the local cathedral archives.
In the 15th century, a branch of the POTVIN family settled in the Picardy region of northern France. Jacques Potvin (1425-1498) was a notable figure from this lineage, serving as a magistrate in the city of Amiens.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the POTVIN name spread to other parts of France, as well as to neighboring countries like Belgium and Switzerland. Jean-Baptiste Potvin (1610-1675), a French Huguenot, fled religious persecution and settled in the Netherlands, where he became a successful wine merchant.
Another notable bearer of the POTVIN name was Marie-Catherine Potvin (1721-1798), a French artist and engraver who is remembered for her intricate etchings of landscapes and architectural scenes.
During the 19th century, several members of the POTVIN family emigrated to North America, particularly to regions of Canada and the United States with significant French-speaking populations. One of the earliest arrivals was Louis Potvin (1812-1887), who settled in Quebec and worked as a farmer and lumberjack.
Over the centuries, the POTVIN surname has been associated with various occupations, including winemaking, innkeeping, agriculture, and commerce. While the name originated in France, it has since become prevalent in many other parts of the world due to emigration and cultural diffusion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Potvin
Among Census respondents with the surname Potvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Potvin 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 Potvin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 2,315
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 65
- Two or more races2.5% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Potvin
Potvin 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
#12,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,503
+76 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 598 places
2020
#12,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,473
-30 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,823 | 2,427 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,421 | 2,503 | 0.85 | +76 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 598 places |
| 2020 | #12,048 | 2,473 | 0.83 | -30 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 373 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 Potvin 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 | #12,421 | #12,048 | 3.0% |
| Count | 2,503 | 2,473 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.83 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Potvin bearers went from 2,503 to 2,473 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 373 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,421 to #12,048.
FAQ
Potvin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Potvin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,836 living Americans carry the surname Potvin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,858 residents.
How common is Potvin?
Potvin ranks #12,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,473 people with the surname Potvin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Potvin.
Has Potvin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Potvin went from 2,503 recorded bearers to 2,473. That is a decrease of 30 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,421 to #12,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Potvin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Potvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Potvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,315 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Potvin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Potvin (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 Potvin mean?
A French toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a vineyard or grape vine. 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 Potvin (0.83 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 share the surname Potvin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.