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

Poythress, 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 Poythress surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poythress in America

Poythress is the 24702nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poythress surname appeared 1,010 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 Poythress.

We can also compare 2010 data for Poythress 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 Poythress

The surname Poythress has its roots in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "poyt" and "hyrst," meaning "a small wooded hill." The earliest records of this name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Poitehyrst."

In the 12th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Poythurst, Poytehurst, and Poytres. These variations were likely due to the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time. The name was primarily concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly in areas around Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was William de Poytehurst, who lived in Dorset during the 13th century. Another notable figure was John Poythress, a wealthy merchant from Hampshire, who was mentioned in the tax records of 1327.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Poythress began to spread across England and into other parts of the British Isles. In 1585, a family by the name of Poythress settled in the town of Blandford Forum in Dorset, where they established a successful farming and trading business.

In the late 17th century, some members of the Poythress family emigrated to the American colonies, seeking new opportunities and religious freedom. One of the earliest recorded Poythress settlers was John Poythress, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and later became a prominent landowner and member of the House of Burgesses.

Other notable individuals with the surname Poythress include Sir Reginald Poythress (1590-1657), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I, and Thomas Poythress (1713-1784), a Virginia planter and surveyor who helped establish the city of Richmond.

In the 19th century, the Poythress name gained further recognition with figures such as Balie Peyton Poythress (1817-1889), a Confederate officer during the American Civil War, and James Poythress (1818-1876), a prominent lawyer and judge in North Carolina.

While the surname Poythress may have evolved over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was closely associated with the landscape and geography of the southern counties.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poythress

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

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

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

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