2000
#4,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.43
Rare Last name
Pounds
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of an animal pound or pen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,423 Americans carry the last name Pounds. That puts it at #5,210 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pounds 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 Pounds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,175
Census rank
#5,210
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,473 bearers of the surname Pounds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5210th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pounds, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pounds
The surname Pounds is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "pund," meaning an enclosure or pound for livestock. This name first emerged in the medieval period, likely referring to someone who lived near or worked at such an enclosure.
The earliest known record of the name Pounds dates back to the 13th century in the county of Oxfordshire, England. In 1273, a John atte Punde was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, an early census-like record. This spelling variation reflects the evolution of the name over time.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, appearing in various forms such as Pownde, Pounde, and Pound. In the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1327, a William Pound was listed as a taxpayer.
The Pounds name can also be traced to place names in England, such as Poundstock in Cornwall and Poundbury in Dorset. These locations likely took their names from the presence of livestock enclosures in the area, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its occupational origins.
Notable individuals with the surname Pounds include Richard Pounds (c. 1512-1594), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions. Another significant figure was John Pounds (1766-1839), an English philanthropist and educator who established one of the earliest English schools for the poor in Portsmouth.
In the 19th century, Thomas Pounds (1814-1892) was a British architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London. Henry Pounds (1897-1951) was a Royal Air Force officer and flying ace during World War I, credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft.
Additionally, James Pounds (1931-2020) was an American sculptor and artist renowned for his large-scale public artworks, including the iconic "Transcendence" sculpture in downtown Los Angeles.
Throughout history, the Pounds surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse origins and occupations associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pounds
Among Census respondents with the surname Pounds, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pounds 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 Pounds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 4,277
- Black or African American25.6% · 1,658
- Two or more races4.5% · 289
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pounds
Pounds 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
#5,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,838
+274 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Down 203 places
2020
#5,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,473
-365 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,918 | 6,564 | 2.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,121 | 6,838 | 2.32 | +274 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 203 places |
| 2020 | #5,210 | 6,473 | 2.17 | -365 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 89 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 Pounds 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 | #5,121 | #5,210 | -1.7% |
| Count | 6,838 | 6,473 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.32 | 2.17 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pounds bearers went from 6,838 to 6,473 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,121 to #5,210.
FAQ
Pounds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pounds?
Name Census estimates that about 7,423 living Americans carry the surname Pounds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,175 residents.
How common is Pounds?
Pounds ranks #5,210 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,473 people with the surname Pounds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,423), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pounds.
Has Pounds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pounds went from 6,838 recorded bearers to 6,473. That is a decrease of 365 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,121 to #5,210.
What does the Census say about the background of Pounds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pounds, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Pounds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (4,277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pounds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (25.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Pounds (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 Pounds mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of an animal pound or pen. 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 Pounds (2.17 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 common is the surname Pounds?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Pounds at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.