Explore the Family Name Poisson
The meaning of Poisson
1. French: from poisson ‘fish’, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling a fish. In North America, this surname is sometimes translated into English as Fish and Fisher. 2. Altered form of French Poissant. History: Jean Poisson from Mortagne-au-Perche in Orne, France, married Jacqueline Chamboy in France in 1644, died in QC in 1652. His descendants also bear the surnames Fish and Fisher. — Some of the American bearers of the surname Poisson are descendants of Jacques Poissant dit La Saline from France (see Poissant). Some characteristic forenames: French Emile, Normand, Pierre, Alain, Andre, Armand, Fernand, Gilles, Michel, Alphonse, Arsene, Auguste.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Poisson in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Poisson saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 15,485 in terms of popularity and this rank dropped by approximately 3 percent to 15,947 in 2010. However, despite the slight drop in rank, the count of individuals bearing the Poisson surname actually increased from 1,736 in 2000 to 1,822 in 2010, marking an approximate 5 percent increase.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,485 | #15,947 | -2.98% |
| Count | 1,736 | 1,822 | 4.95% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.64 | 0.62 | -3.12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Poisson
The Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals information about the ethnic identity associated with the surname Poisson. The majority of people with this surname identified as white, with the percentage decreasing slightly from 95.79 percent in 2000 to 92.81 percent in 2010. Interestingly, there were significant increases in the proportion of individuals with the Poisson surname identifying as Hispanic and Black, with the percentages more than doubling from 0.86 percent and 1.56 percent in 2000, to 1.76 percent and 3.13 percent in 2010 respectively. The proportion of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native was zero in both years, while those identifying as two or more races increased from 1.38 percent in 2000 to 1.92 percent in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.79% | 92.81% | -3.11% |
| Black | 1.56% | 3.13% | 100.64% |
| Two or More Races | 1.38% | 1.92% | 39.13% |
| Hispanic | 0.86% | 1.76% | 104.65% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |