Explore the Family Name Pontier

The meaning of Pontier

French and Dutch: occupational name for a toll keeper on a bridge, from an agent derivative of pont ‘bridge’. This surname is also found in the Dominican Republic. History: The first recorded bearer of the surname Pontier in the US was Lewis Pontier, born in MD in the 1800s. His origins are not known. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Francisco, Mercedes, Osvaldo, Ramon, Roberto. French Jean-Pierre, Pierre.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Pontier in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Pontier has seen minor changes. In 2000, the surname was ranked at 51,945 out of all surnames in the United States, and it saw a slight increase in rank by 2010, moving up to 49,999. This shift represents a 3.75% change in rank. The number of individuals bearing the Pontier surname also increased from 376 in 2000 to 419 in 2010, an 11.44% rise. Despite this increase in count, the proportion per 100,000 people remained stable at 0.14.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#51,945	#49,999	3.75%
Count	376	419	11.44%
Proportion per 100k	0.14	0.14	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pontier

When discussing the ethnic identity associated with the Pontier surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals significant shifts between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, although there was a decrease from 82.98% in 2000 to 73.75% in 2010. In contrast, those identifying as Hispanic saw a substantial increase from 14.63% in 2000 to 24.58% in 2010. There were no reported instances of Pontier individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	82.98%	73.75%	-11.12%
Hispanic	14.63%	24.58%	68.01%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%