Find out how popular the last name Powder is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Powder.

Powder, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Powder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Powder in America

Powder is the 143149th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Powder surname appeared 116 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Powder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Powder to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Powder

The surname Powder originates from England, where it first appeared in the late 13th century. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "pudre," meaning a person who made or sold gunpowder. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273, where it appears as "Hugo le Poudrere."

During the Middle Ages, gunpowder was primarily used for military purposes, and the trade of making and selling it was a specialized occupation. As such, individuals involved in this trade would have adopted the surname Powder or variations of it, such as Powderman or Powdermaker, to identify their profession.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Powder was John Powder, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1301. Another notable figure was William Powder, a gunpowder maker from London, who is recorded in the city's records in 1423.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records across England. For instance, the marriage of Thomas Powder and Agnes Smythe was recorded in the parish of St. Mary Aldermary, London, in 1587. Additionally, the christening of Joane Powder, daughter of Robert Powder, was recorded in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate, London, in 1592.

The surname Powder can also be found in historical documents related to the English Civil War (1642-1651). One example is Captain John Powder, who served in the Parliamentarian army and is mentioned in the records of the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

Another notable individual with the surname was Sir John Powder (1615-1679), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset. He was knighted by King Charles II in 1662 and served as a Member of Parliament for Wells in the 1660s.

Throughout history, several other individuals with the surname Powder have made their mark in various fields. For instance, Henry Powder (1699-1781) was a renowned clockmaker from London, while William Powder (1788-1858) was a successful architect and engineer who designed several churches and public buildings in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Powder

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Powder.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Powder was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Powder has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Powder was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Powder, please contact us.

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