Explore the Family Name Poinsett
The meaning of Poinsett
Altered form of French Poinset: from a pet form of the personal name Poinse, from Latin Pontius (see Ponce). Altered ending reflects the Canadian and American French practice of sounding the final -t. The surname Poinset is very rare in France. History: The poinsettia takes its name from an American diplomat, Joel Poinsett (1779–1851), who was a keen amateur botanist and who brought the flower back from Mexico, where he was US ambassador. He was born in Charleston, SC, and was descended from a Huguenot, Pierre Poinset, who was born in Soubise in Charente-Maritime and settled in Charleston c.1700. Pierre Poinset is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors and also in the similar registers of the Huguenot Society of America and of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Poinsett in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Poinsett marginally declined between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 45,227 in terms of popularity and slipped to a rank of 47,107 in 2010, marking a change of -4.16%. Despite this fall in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Poinsett surname actually increased from 446 in 2000 to 451 in 2010, representing a growth of 1.12%. However, when measured as proportion per 100,000 people, the prevalence of the surname declined by 11.76% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #45,227 | #47,107 | -4.16% |
| Count | 446 | 451 | 1.12% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.17 | 0.15 | -11.76% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Poinsett
With regards to ethnicity based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there was no change in the percentage of Poinsett individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or American Indian and Alaskan Native from 2000 to 2010. There was, however, a slight decline among those identifying as White, falling from 84.3% in 2000 to 83.15% in 2010, a decrease of 1.36%. The percentage of Black individuals with the Poinsett surname also decreased slightly, from 14.57% in 2000 to 13.97% in 2010, a change of -4.12%. Interestingly, the census data for 2010 showed that 2.44% of Poinsetts identified with two or more races, an option not present in the 2000 data.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.3% | 83.15% | -1.36% |
| Black | 14.57% | 13.97% | -4.12% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 2.44% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |