2000
#304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 90,401
First available Census row
Per 100,000 33.51
Common Last name
Powers
An Irish occupational surname derived from an Anglo-Norman word referring to a poor man or pauper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 101,201 Americans carry the last name Powers. That puts it at #347 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 29.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,387 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Powers 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 Powers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
101K
1 in 3,387
Census rank
#347
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
29.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
88K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 88,252 bearers of the surname Powers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 29.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 347th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Powers, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Powers
Among Census respondents with the surname Powers, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Powers 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 Powers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 76,154
- Black or African American5.1% · 4,509
- Two or more races3.8% · 3,375
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 3,012
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 748
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 454
Timeline
Historical Census data for Powers
Powers 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
#336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 91,970
+1,569 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 31.18
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 88,252
-3,718 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 29.53
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #304 | 90,401 | 33.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #336 | 91,970 | 31.18 | +1,569 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #347 | 88,252 | 29.53 | -3,718 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 11 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 Powers 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 | #336 | #347 | -3.3% |
| Count | 91,970 | 88,252 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 31.18 | 29.53 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Powers bearers went from 91,970 to 88,252 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #336 to #347.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Powers
FAQ
Powers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Powers?
Name Census estimates that about 101,201 living Americans carry the surname Powers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,387 residents.
How common is Powers?
Powers ranks #347 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 29.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 30 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 88,252 people with the surname Powers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (101,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 29.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 29.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 30 of them to have the surname Powers.
Has Powers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Powers went from 91,970 recorded bearers to 88,252. That is a decrease of 3,718 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #336 to #347.
What does the Census say about the background of Powers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Powers, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Powers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (76,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Powers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Powers (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 Powers mean?
An Irish occupational surname derived from an Anglo-Norman word referring to a poor man or pauper. 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 Powers (29.53 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 people have the surname Powers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.