2000
#31,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 681
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Pousson
A French surname derived from the Old French word "pousson" meaning a young plant or shoot.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 779 Americans carry the last name Pousson. That puts it at #35,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 439,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pousson 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
779
1 in 439,993
Census rank
#35,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
679
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 679 bearers of the surname Pousson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pousson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pousson
The surname Pousson originated in France, specifically in the southern region of Languedoc during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "poulson," which means "little pullet" or "young chicken." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to someone who raised or dealt with poultry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pousson can be found in the Livre des Métiers, a compilation of trade guild regulations in Paris from the 13th century, where a certain Jehan Pousson is listed as a poulterer (seller of poultry). Another early mention of the name appears in the Armorial Général de France, a collection of coats of arms and family genealogies compiled in the late 17th century, which includes the Pousson family from the region of Languedoc.
Notable individuals with the surname Pousson include Jacques Pousson (1653-1734), a French architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in Paris, such as the Church of Saint-Louis-en-l'Île. Another prominent figure was Jean-Baptiste Pousson (1760-1832), a French writer and philosopher who published several works on education and political theory during the Enlightenment period.
In the 19th century, Émile Pousson (1821-1898) was a French lawyer and politician who served as a member of the National Assembly and played a role in the establishment of the Third Republic. His contemporary, Marie-Eugène Pousson (1839-1912), was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in a different spelling can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named William Poussin is listed as holding estates in Oxfordshire, England. This alternative spelling, which means "little chick" in Old French, further reinforces the connection between the surname and its avian origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pousson
Among Census respondents with the surname Pousson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pousson 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 Pousson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 628
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 22
- Two or more races2.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pousson
Pousson 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
#38,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 576
-105 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 6,453 places
2020
#35,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 679
+103 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 2,801 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,986 | 681 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,439 | 576 | 0.20 | -105 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 6,453 places |
| 2020 | #35,638 | 679 | 0.23 | +103 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 2,801 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 Pousson 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 | #38,439 | #35,638 | 7.3% |
| Count | 576 | 679 | 17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.23 | 13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pousson bearers went from 576 to 679 (+17.9% change). The surname moved up 2,801 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,439 to #35,638.
FAQ
Pousson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pousson?
Name Census estimates that about 779 living Americans carry the surname Pousson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 439,993 residents.
How common is Pousson?
Pousson ranks #35,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 679 people with the surname Pousson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pousson.
Has Pousson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pousson went from 576 recorded bearers to 679. That is an increase of 103 (+17.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #38,439 to #35,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Pousson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pousson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Pousson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (628 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pousson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Pousson (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 Pousson mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "pousson" meaning a young plant or shoot. 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 Pousson (0.23 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 Pousson?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Pousson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.