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

Powers, 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 Powers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Powers in America

Powers is the 336th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Powers surname appeared 91,970 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 31 people would have the surname Powers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Powers 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 Powers

The surname Powers has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "poure," meaning a poor or humble person. Initially, it may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone of modest means or humble status.

The name Powers is thought to have first appeared in historical records in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Poure," which was later anglicized to "Powers."

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Powers, who was born in Warwickshire, England, in the late 13th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate during the reign of King Edward I.

The Powers family later spread across various regions of England, with branches settling in counties such as Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Oxfordshire. Notable individuals with the surname include William Powers (1542-1608), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Peterborough during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Powers (1605-1661), a renowned military commander who fought on the Parliamentarian side during the English Civil War. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Naseby in 1645 and was later appointed as the Governor of Shrewsbury.

In the 18th century, the Powers family gained prominence in Ireland, where they established themselves as landowners and prominent members of the gentry class. One notable member was John Powers (1720-1786), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliament, who represented County Waterford.

As the Powers surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, it also became associated with various place names and localities. For example, Powers Court in Kent, England, was named after the Powers family who held the estate in the 16th century.

While the surname Powers is of English origin, it has since been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in countries with significant populations of British descent, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Powers

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!