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

Powelson, 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 Powelson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Powelson in America

Powelson is the 26110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Powelson surname appeared 938 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 Powelson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Powelson 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 Powelson

The surname Powelson is of British origin, deriving from the Welsh personal name Powell, a patronymic name meaning "son of Hywel." Hywel was a popular Welsh name derived from the Old Welsh name Houel, which itself originated from the Old Breton name Houel or Hamuold.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Powelson can be found in Yorkshire, England, in the late 13th century. It is believed that the name was brought to Yorkshire by Welsh settlers during this time period. The name was sometimes spelled as Powleson or Paulson in its early iterations.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Powelson was John Powelson, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Another early record of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1523, which lists a Robert Powleson.

Throughout the centuries, the Powelson surname has been associated with various notable individuals. One such person was Sir Thomas Powelson (1582-1649), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in the early 17th century.

In the 18th century, William Powelson (1720-1788) was a prominent American businessman and landowner from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played a significant role in the development of the city during the colonial era.

Another notable figure was John Powelson (1786-1867), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned author and historian, publishing several books on military tactics and strategy.

During the 19th century, the Powelson surname was also present in various parts of the United States. One notable American bearing this name was Samuel Powelson (1818-1892), a successful businessman and philanthropist from New York City, who contributed significantly to the development of educational institutions in the region.

The Powelson family has a rich and diverse history, with roots tracing back to Wales and a presence in various parts of Britain and the United States over the centuries. The surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, military officers, businessmen, and philanthropists.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Powelson

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

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 Powelson 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 Powelson 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 Powelson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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