Ponsonby Surname

363,083rd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 995 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
Ireland

Ponsonby Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Ponsonby,' a parish in Cumberland.

'The Ponsonbys of Hale were originally of Ponson, where they are to be traced before the reign of Edward II. At an earlier period the first of the family of whom we find any mention was called Ponson, and his son Fitz-Ponson': History of Allendale Ward, Cumberland, by S.

Read More About This Surname

Ponsonby Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England3841:145,09913,995
Australia1751:154,26116,255
United States1361:2,665,139160,299
South Africa991:547,25043,124
Ireland531:88,8485,029
New Zealand501:90,56612,574
Scotland441:121,6787,769
Canada131:2,834,276161,175
Wales101:309,45316,869
Northern Ireland91:205,0049,958
Sweden51:1,969,351134,077
France51:13,284,544357,392
United Arab Emirates41:2,290,56860,372
Norway31:1,714,09579,528
Jamaica21:1,434,97411,081
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
India11:767,065,3821,851,717
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland351:126,5687,344
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1701:143,38512,847
Scotland181:207,9567,652
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States331:1,521,77881,120

Ponsonby Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Ponsonby,' a parish in Cumberland.

'The Ponsonbys of Hale were originally of Ponson, where they are to be traced before the reign of Edward II. At an earlier period the first of the family of whom we find any mention was called Ponson, and his son Fitz-Ponson': History of Allendale Ward, Cumberland, by S. Jefferson.

Thus Ponsonby means the by or dwelling of Ponson, a then familiar Norman personal name; v. Punshon.

1624. Simon Ponsonbey, stationer, and Elizabeth Turner: Marriage Lic (London).

1731. Married — William Punsonby and Anne Jenkinson: Reg. Parish Church, Ulverston.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(French-Latin+Scand.) belonging to Ponsonby (Cumb.) = Ponson’s Settlement or Estate [Ponson is the fairly common French pers. name (Cumberland historians mention a Norman Fitz-Ponson),a diminutive from Latin Ponti-us:—+O.N. bý-r]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

The ancestors of this noble family derive their name from the parish of Ponsonby in Cumberland. Before the adoption of the surname, they are said to have been of Hale, in the same county. Still earlier, according to a family tradition, they were of noble rank in Picardy, the founder of the house in England having come over with the Conqueror, who appointed him his Barber! The three combs in the arms of Ponsonby are alleged in support of this story, and if further evidence can possibly be desired, the cheveron that separates them may adumbrate the open razor, wherewithal the dread face of the mighty Conqueror was denuded of its manly appendage.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

The name is derived from P., Cumberland, so named from Ponzo or Poncio, t. William I. This name was, as appears from Gall. Christ. vol. vi., and from Bouquet, equivalent to that of Pontius; and was peculiar to Aquitaine. John Fitz-Ponzo granted the church of P. to Coningshead Priory (Mon. ii. 424). From him descended Richard de P., t. Edward I., ancestor of the Earls of Bessborough and Viscounts Ponsonby.

The Norman People (1874)

A location name in Cumberland.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Ponsonby Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Ponsonby Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Ponsonby is most common in England. It may be found as a variant:. For other possible spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Ponsonby? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 363,083rd most frequently used family name on a worldwide basis, borne by approximately 1 in 7,324,167 people. This surname occurs mostly in Europe, where 52 percent of Ponsonby are found; 51 percent are found in Northern Europe and 50 percent are found in British Isles.

This surname is most widely held in England, where it is borne by 384 people, or 1 in 145,099. In England Ponsonby is primarily found in: Greater London, where 17 percent are found, West Yorkshire, where 11 percent are found and Oxfordshire, where 9 percent are found. Besides England Ponsonby is found in 17 countries. It is also common in Australia, where 18 percent are found and The United States, where 14 percent are found.

Ponsonby Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Ponsonby has changed over time. In England the number of people who held the Ponsonby last name increased 226 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it increased 412 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Ireland it increased 151 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Scotland it increased 244 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Ponsonby Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the Ponsonby last name is principally Catholic (80%) in Ireland.

In The United States Ponsonby are 18.23% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 65% being registered with the political party.

The amount Ponsonby earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 65.05% more than the national average, earning R 392,220 per year and in United States they earn 13.31% more than the national average, earning $48,893 USD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Poonsonby941/
Ponsomby882/
Pansonby881/
Ponsenby881/
Punsonby880/
Pensonby880/
Ponsinby880/
Ponsonbee820/
Ponsonby-Way804/
Pansniby750/
Pansenby750/
Ponsonnep712/
Pensonbau711/
Pensonabi711/
Panjanbi502/
Punjanbi501/

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Ponsonby
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis