2000
#413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.36
Uncommon Last name
Potter
An occupational surname referring to a maker of ceramic pottery or earthenware vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 79,121 Americans carry the last name Potter. That puts it at #471 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Potter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Potter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
79K
1 in 4,332
Census rank
#471
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
69K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 68,997 bearers of the surname Potter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 471st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Potter, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Potter
The surname POTTER originated in England, deriving from the Old English word 'pottor' which referred to a maker of pottery. It first appeared during the medieval period in areas such as Staffordshire, known for its pottery industry. Similar spellings included Poter, Pottor, and Pottere.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname was in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a certain Edric Pottor was listed as residing in Warwickshire. Another early reference was Godric le Pottor, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1199.
During the 13th century, surnames began to become hereditary, and the POTTER name was found in various locations across England, often associated with villages or towns where pottery was produced. For instance, in 1275, a Roger le Potter was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire.
A notable bearer of the name was Sir John Potter (1413-1492), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1487. Another prominent figure was Richard Potter (1548-1628), an English clergyman and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
In the 17th century, the surname appeared in various records, such as the marriage of John Potter and Mary Browne in Ipswich, Suffolk, in 1622. Around the same time, the name was also found in the New World, with settlers like Nicholas Potter, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
During the 18th century, several individuals with the POTTER surname made significant contributions. These included John Potter (1674-1747), an English Archbishop of Canterbury, and Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), the famous English writer and illustrator of children's books, best known for her tales featuring Peter Rabbit.
In the 19th century, the name was further spread across the globe through migration and exploration. One notable bearer was Alonzo Potter (1800-1865), an American bishop and educator who served as the President of Union College and later as the Bishop of Pennsylvania.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Potter
Among Census respondents with the surname Potter, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Potter 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 Potter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 59,158
- Black or African American5.1% · 3,537
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,895
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,365
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 527
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 515
Timeline
Historical Census data for Potter
Potter 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
#457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,175
+1,072 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 24.47
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,997
-3,178 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 23.08
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #413 | 71,103 | 26.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #457 | 72,175 | 24.47 | +1,072 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #471 | 68,997 | 23.08 | -3,178 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 14 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 Potter 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 | #457 | #471 | -3.1% |
| Count | 72,175 | 68,997 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 24.47 | 23.08 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Potter bearers went from 72,175 to 68,997 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #457 to #471.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Potter
FAQ
Potter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Potter?
Name Census estimates that about 79,121 living Americans carry the surname Potter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,332 residents.
How common is Potter?
Potter ranks #471 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 68,997 people with the surname Potter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (79,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Potter.
Has Potter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Potter went from 72,175 recorded bearers to 68,997. That is a decrease of 3,178 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #457 to #471.
What does the Census say about the background of Potter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Potter, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Potter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (59,158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Potter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Potter (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 Potter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of ceramic pottery or earthenware vessels. 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 Potter (23.08 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 Potter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.