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

Poynor, 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 Poynor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poynor in America

Poynor is the 25572nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poynor surname appeared 965 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 Poynor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poynor 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 Poynor

The surname Poynor originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "pund" meaning an enclosure, and "ofer" meaning a ridge or bank. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears as "de Pundoure" in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1177.

The Poynor family is thought to have originated from the village of Poundover in Somerset, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Pundovre." The name may have initially referred to someone who lived near the enclosure or pound on the ridge.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Pundoure, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire in 1212. Another early example is John de Pundover, who was documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Poynor. Sir John Poynor (1520-1585) was an English politician and Member of Parliament for Gloucester during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Thomas Poynor (1670-1735) was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

In the 18th century, the surname appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this era include Reverend William Poynor (1701-1772), a clergyman and author from Somerset, and Sarah Poynor (1732-1811), a philanthropist and benefactor from Devon.

During the 19th century, the surname spread more widely across England and other parts of the British Isles. One notable figure from this period was John Poynor (1837-1915), a successful businessman and industrialist from Lancashire, who founded the Poynor Engineering Company.

Throughout its history, the surname Poynor has undergone various spelling variations, such as Poundover, Pundover, Pundor, and Punder, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poynor

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

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

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

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