2000
#2,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,201
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.15
Uncommon Last name
Poindexter
A Norman French occupational surname referring to someone who made an instrument for pricking or punching holes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,341 Americans carry the last name Poindexter. That puts it at #3,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,774 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poindexter surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,774
Census rank
#3,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,762 bearers of the surname Poindexter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poindexter, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poindexter
The surname Poindexter is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French phrase "poing destre," which means "right hand." This phrase was likely used to describe someone who was skilled or dexterous with their right hand.
The earliest known record of the name Poindexter dates back to the 13th century in Sussex, England. It was spelled in various ways, including Poyndexter, Poindestr, and Poyndestre. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Sir John Poindexter, who was a knight from Sussex during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Poindexter family held land and properties in various parts of southern England, particularly in Surrey and Hampshire. One notable member was William Poindexter, who was a merchant and landowner in Southampton during the early 1400s.
The name Poindexter is also found in some historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, including parish records and tax rolls. For example, a Richard Poindexter was listed as a taxpayer in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1523.
During the 17th century, some members of the Poindexter family emigrated to the American colonies, where the name took root and spread across various states. One of the earliest known Poindexters in America was George Poindexter, who was born in Virginia in 1655 and served as a member of the House of Burgesses.
Another notable individual with this surname was Miles Poindexter (1868-1923), who was a lawyer and politician from Washington state. He served as a United States Senator and was also a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Other individuals with the Poindexter surname include John Poindexter (1936-present), who was a United States Naval officer and National Security Advisor during the Iran-Contra affair in the 1980s, and Jerrold Poindexter (1939-2021), an American computer scientist and information technology pioneer.
Overall, the surname Poindexter has a rich history dating back to medieval England, and it has been carried by various notable individuals throughout the centuries in both England and America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poindexter
Among Census respondents with the surname Poindexter, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Poindexter bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Poindexter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.1% · 5,390
- Black or African American40.2% · 4,330
- Two or more races5.5% · 591
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 338
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poindexter
Poindexter appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,531
+330 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 171 places
2020
#3,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,762
-769 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 3.60
Rank movement Down 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,958 | 11,201 | 4.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,129 | 11,531 | 3.91 | +330 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 171 places |
| 2020 | #3,273 | 10,762 | 3.60 | -769 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 144 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Poindexter surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,129 | #3,273 | -4.6% |
| Count | 11,531 | 10,762 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.91 | 3.60 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poindexter bearers went from 11,531 to 10,762 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,129 to #3,273.
FAQ
Poindexter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poindexter?
Name Census estimates that about 12,341 living Americans carry the surname Poindexter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,774 residents.
How common is Poindexter?
Poindexter ranks #3,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,762 people with the surname Poindexter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,341), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Poindexter.
Has Poindexter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poindexter went from 11,531 recorded bearers to 10,762. That is a decrease of 769 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,129 to #3,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Poindexter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poindexter, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Poindexter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (5,390 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poindexter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.1%), Black (40.2%), Two or More Races (5.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Poindexter (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Poindexter mean?
A Norman French occupational surname referring to someone who made an instrument for pricking or punching holes. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Poindexter (3.60 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Poindexter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.