Potter Surname
Approximately 176,050 people bear this surname
Potter Surname Definition:
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the potter,' a maker of pots, vessels for cooking or drinking. A common entry in 13th century registers.
Michael le Potere, London, 1273. Hundred Rolls.
John le Pottere, London, ibid.
Read More About This SurnamePotter Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 93,059 | 1:3,895 | 423 |
| England | 31,572 | 1:1,765 | 203 |
| Puerto Rico | 19,068 | 1:186 | 51 |
| Australia | 11,399 | 1:2,368 | 312 |
| Canada | 7,830 | 1:4,706 | 668 |
| New Zealand | 1,900 | 1:2,383 | 330 |
| Scotland | 1,495 | 1:3,581 | 632 |
| South Africa | 1,251 | 1:43,308 | 5,531 |
| Wales | 1,098 | 1:2,818 | 310 |
| Brazil | 698 | 1:306,697 | 11,831 |
| Netherlands | 526 | 1:32,105 | 5,337 |
| Dominican Republic | 524 | 1:19,910 | 1,317 |
| Ireland | 512 | 1:9,197 | 1,248 |
| Russia | 501 | 1:287,671 | 29,722 |
| Liberia | 428 | 1:10,300 | 1,137 |
| Northern Ireland | 401 | 1:4,601 | 893 |
| Thailand | 368 | 1:191,952 | 31,671 |
| France | 351 | 1:189,239 | 29,444 |
| Germany | 236 | 1:341,125 | 33,422 |
| Spain | 173 | 1:270,243 | 16,860 |
| Morocco | 170 | 1:202,801 | 34,956 |
| India | 168 | 1:4,565,865 | 118,158 |
| Estonia | 127 | 1:10,408 | 1,483 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 123 | 1:806 | 138 |
| British Virgin Islands | 119 | 1:265 | 55 |
| Bahrain | 118 | 1:11,429 | 2,102 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 100 | 1:1,104 | 169 |
| Israel | 81 | 1:105,650 | 12,007 |
| Sweden | 78 | 1:126,240 | 8,954 |
| Singapore | 77 | 1:71,529 | 2,869 |
| China | 75 | 1:18,230,954 | 1,039 |
| Indonesia | 74 | 1:1,787,151 | 115,268 |
| Chile | 72 | 1:244,673 | 7,410 |
| Japan | 71 | 1:1,800,624 | 26,471 |
| Zimbabwe | 67 | 1:230,421 | 25,509 |
| Nigeria | 59 | 1:3,002,420 | 93,371 |
| Iran | 56 | 1:1,371,116 | 56,327 |
| Philippines | 52 | 1:1,946,889 | 117,777 |
| Guatemala | 44 | 1:365,515 | 4,900 |
| Switzerland | 42 | 1:195,546 | 17,263 |
| Argentina | 41 | 1:1,042,522 | 64,438 |
| Malaysia | 41 | 1:719,371 | 33,828 |
| Uzbekistan | 38 | 1:813,925 | 16,450 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 34 | 1:40,117 | 3,784 |
| Denmark | 33 | 1:171,052 | 14,584 |
| Honduras | 33 | 1:267,165 | 2,560 |
| Mexico | 30 | 1:4,137,540 | 26,679 |
| Guernsey | 29 | 1:2,222 | 539 |
| Greece | 27 | 1:410,363 | 54,524 |
| Uruguay | 25 | 1:137,270 | 12,322 |
| Hong Kong | 24 | 1:305,645 | 3,095 |
| Jamaica | 24 | 1:119,581 | 4,532 |
| Guyana | 23 | 1:33,140 | 3,492 |
| Ecuador | 22 | 1:722,993 | 12,618 |
| Belgium | 21 | 1:547,459 | 51,586 |
| Cyprus | 21 | 1:42,137 | 4,231 |
| Norway | 20 | 1:257,114 | 27,149 |
| Italy | 19 | 1:3,218,773 | 100,309 |
| Belarus | 18 | 1:527,837 | 48,523 |
| Isle of Man | 18 | 1:4,768 | 1,008 |
| Egypt | 16 | 1:5,745,985 | 48,100 |
| Anguilla | 14 | 1:960 | 86 |
| Kazakhstan | 14 | 1:1,263,035 | 68,752 |
| Barbados | 10 | 1:28,745 | 1,389 |
| Gibraltar | 10 | 1:3,395 | 741 |
| Jersey | 10 | 1:9,920 | 2,003 |
| South Korea | 9 | 1:5,693,362 | 993 |
| Ukraine | 9 | 1:5,058,077 | 228,455 |
| Cuba | 8 | 1:1,440,340 | 7,824 |
| Hungary | 8 | 1:1,227,035 | 53,030 |
| Poland | 8 | 1:4,751,094 | 138,864 |
| Taiwan | 8 | 1:2,930,593 | 17,989 |
| Afghanistan | 7 | 1:4,593,312 | 23,122 |
| Greenland | 7 | 1:8,054 | 710 |
| Algeria | 6 | 1:6,438,592 | 53,709 |
| Austria | 6 | 1:1,419,239 | 86,529 |
| Azerbaijan | 6 | 1:1,608,187 | 20,863 |
| Pakistan | 6 | 1:29,773,981 | 92,487 |
| Qatar | 6 | 1:393,000 | 55,922 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 6 | 1:5,722 | 548 |
| Vietnam | 6 | 1:15,441,009 | 3,090 |
| Finland | 5 | 1:1,099,340 | 45,512 |
| Ghana | 5 | 1:5,404,138 | 15,377 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5 | 1:1,832,455 | 58,414 |
| Venezuela | 5 | 1:6,040,815 | 47,898 |
| Botswana | 4 | 1:546,732 | 22,624 |
| Costa Rica | 4 | 1:1,195,017 | 6,919 |
| Czechia | 4 | 1:2,658,367 | 127,801 |
| Iraq | 4 | 1:8,755,414 | 23,373 |
| Kuwait | 4 | 1:950,174 | 18,811 |
| Lebanon | 4 | 1:1,409,271 | 19,641 |
| Malta | 4 | 1:107,568 | 1,849 |
| Saudi Arabia | 4 | 1:7,713,954 | 37,548 |
| Seychelles | 4 | 1:23,098 | 1,012 |
| Slovakia | 4 | 1:1,334,112 | 94,300 |
| Tunisia | 4 | 1:152,656 | 17,743 |
| Vanuatu | 4 | 1:65,819 | 1,151 |
| Angola | 3 | 1:8,996,405 | 11,732 |
| Armenia | 3 | 1:976,727 | 13,552 |
| Bahamas | 3 | 1:130,584 | 1,472 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 3 | 1:1,990,885 | 79,765 |
| Papua New Guinea | 3 | 1:2,717,906 | 153,458 |
| Syria | 3 | 1:6,433,674 | 16,197 |
| Turkmenistan | 3 | 1:1,829,704 | 11,403 |
| Zambia | 3 | 1:5,283,307 | 43,479 |
| Brunei | 2 | 1:209,366 | 3,098 |
| Cameroon | 2 | 1:10,384,534 | 165,830 |
| Ivory Coast | 2 | 1:11,535,616 | 61,806 |
| Jordan | 2 | 1:4,421,218 | 22,351 |
| Kenya | 2 | 1:23,089,950 | 83,168 |
| Latvia | 2 | 1:1,025,023 | 41,546 |
| Lithuania | 2 | 1:1,517,294 | 35,813 |
| Myanmar | 2 | 1:25,968,992 | 2,110 |
| Romania | 2 | 1:10,038,935 | 80,612 |
| Tanzania | 2 | 1:26,470,806 | 111,653 |
| Turkey | 2 | 1:38,910,711 | 171,901 |
| Uganda | 2 | 1:19,519,640 | 189,114 |
| Yemen | 2 | 1:13,212,647 | 40,633 |
| Albania | 1 | 1:2,914,055 | 29,474 |
| Andorra | 1 | 1:83,838 | 2,381 |
| Aruba | 1 | 1:103,477 | 2,586 |
| Belize | 1 | 1:355,474 | 3,977 |
| Benin | 1 | 1:10,335,602 | 103,742 |
| Bhutan | 1 | 1:616,039 | 1,715 |
| Bolivia | 1 | 1:10,616,434 | 17,077 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 1:3,536,402 | 19,532 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1:6,978,905 | 86,260 |
| Burkina Faso | 1 | 1:18,352,100 | 30,051 |
| Cambodia | 1 | 1:15,487,146 | 14,824 |
| Colombia | 1 | 1:47,774,072 | 44,230 |
| Comoros | 1 | 1:749,524 | 685 |
| Croatia | 1 | 1:4,228,604 | 99,289 |
| Curaçao | 1 | 1:157,247 | 1,313 |
| Djibouti | 1 | 1:914,932 | 1,612 |
| East Timor | 1 | 1:1,215,928 | 507 |
| El Salvador | 1 | 1:6,343,888 | 8,415 |
| Falkland Islands | 1 | 1:3,132 | 317 |
| French Polynesia | 1 | 1:280,805 | 7,211 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1:3,745,545 | 47,852 |
| Guam | 1 | 1:160,121 | 4,893 |
| Haiti | 1 | 1:10,683,907 | 24,607 |
| Laos | 1 | 1:6,588,323 | 1,961 |
| Liechtenstein | 1 | 1:38,378 | 1,726 |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 1:580,542 | 15,155 |
| Macau | 1 | 1:601,630 | 1,582 |
| North Macedonia | 1 | 1:2,101,472 | 31,546 |
| Madagascar | 1 | 1:23,649,837 | 9,420 |
| Mauritania | 1 | 1:4,094,863 | 38,869 |
| Mauritius | 1 | 1:1,293,417 | 16,552 |
| Micronesia | 1 | 1:106,243 | 1,380 |
| Moldova | 1 | 1:3,561,368 | 78,271 |
| Mongolia | 1 | 1:2,825,289 | 17,010 |
| Nepal | 1 | 1:28,480,956 | 22,413 |
| Niger | 1 | 1:19,192,017 | 110,060 |
| Panama | 1 | 1:3,912,258 | 17,195 |
| Peru | 1 | 1:31,784,123 | 64,452 |
| Portugal | 1 | 1:10,418,241 | 25,048 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 | 1:112,659 | 1,704 |
| Senegal | 1 | 1:14,579,342 | 11,705 |
| Serbia | 1 | 1:7,144,948 | 38,459 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1:20,808,560 | 18,521 |
| Sudan | 1 | 1:37,510,195 | 14,259 |
| Tajikistan | 1 | 1:8,386,692 | 12,859 |
| Togo | 1 | 1:7,247,768 | 12,049 |
| Tonga | 1 | 1:107,313 | 791 |
| Transnistria | 1 | 1:474,699 | 17,893 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 554 | 1:7,996 | 1,222 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 16,357 | 1:1,490 | 183 |
| Scotland | 855 | 1:4,378 | 694 |
| Wales | 257 | 1:6,103 | 402 |
| Guernsey | 15 | 1:2,177 | 371 |
| Jersey | 15 | 1:3,459 | 578 |
| Isle of Man | 4 | 1:13,567 | 1,192 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 23,732 | 1:2,116 | 221 |
The alternate forms: Pötter (2,932), Pótter (1) & Põtter (1) are calculated separately.
Potter (184) may also be a first name.
Potter Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the potter,' a maker of pots, vessels for cooking or drinking. A common entry in 13th century registers.
Michael le Potere, London, 1273. Hundred Rolls.
John le Pottere, London, ibid.
Ranulph le Poter, Essex, ibid.
Nicholas le Potter, bailiff of Yarmouth, 1303: History of Norfolk.
1598. Robert Bruffe and Margaret Potter: Marriage Lic. (London).
From the occupation, a maker of pots (rendered "figulus, ollarius, plastes, vrnerius" in the Catholicon Anglicurn). Simon Potter of Dumbarton was one of those appointed to treat for the ransom of David 11 in 1357 (CDE., p. 20), Thomas Potter was a tenant of the earl of Douglas in Moffat, 1376 (RHM., I, p. lxiii), and Alexander Potter was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1498 (NSCM., I, p. 39). James Potter witnessed an instrument of sasine in Brechin, 1505 (REB., II, 149), Robert Potter was burgess of Arne, 1590 (Ayr, p. 116), and Henry Potter was retoured heir in lands in vill of Drumcrostoun, 1630 (Retours, Linlithgow), 124). Thomas Potter, a Scot, built a smelting work at Applebys Plads in 1769, thus taking a lead in the Danish iron-foundry industry.
Potter is a name of obvious derivation: it means simply a maker of pots. It appears in Dublin as le Peter in a number of cases in the thirteenth century. It was, however, not common in the mediaeval period, but from the sixteenth century on it became more numerous and is found now in all the four provinces. Judging by such tests as diocesan wills, Fiants, hearth money rolls, marriage licence bonds and other legal records it would appear that Counties Cork, Tipperary, Galway and Down are the parts of the country where the name is mainly found —-apart, of course, from the city of Dublin which is composed of people from all the provinces; but the frequent references in the Fiants to Potterstown in Co. Kildare indicated that the family was once well established there, though there is now no place so called in the townland and parish lists for Kildare or any other county.
Most notable people of the name have been English; but Thomas Joseph Potter (1828-1873),author and professor at All Hallows College, was Irish, and at the present day we have Archibald Potter, the distinguished composer, and Maureen Potter, the comedienne, to keep Potter prominent as an Irish name.
(English) Pot-Maker; Pot-Seller [Middle English poter(e, potter(e; Old English pott, a pot + the agential suff. -ere] The potter whom Robin Hood failed to despoil said that the ‘pottys’ which he was carting to Nottingham for sale there were worth ‘two nobellys’ (Roben Hode and the Potter).
‘Potter, a hawker of earthenware.’—Dial. of Lonsdale, p. 64.
This appears as le Poter in Dublin in the thirteenth century and is now found in small numbers in all the provinces. SIF 125
(English) One who made utensils of earthenware or metal.
Figulus-a maker of pots.
One who makes earthen vessels.
John, Raimond Potier, Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae); Cardois and Ralph P. 1198 (Ib.); Henry, John, Nicholas le Potere, Engl. c. 1272 (Rotuli Hundredorum). The term meant an apothecary or druggist.
From the Dutch, Potter, Potters; from the French, Poteau, Pottier; a personal name.
Potter: maker of common pots. The name remains both as Potter and Potts.
POTTER. —Mostly confined, in the first place, to the midlands, where it is especially characteristic of Derbyshire and Northamptonshire; and, in the second place, to the east coast counties between the Wash and the Thames, particularly in Essex and Norfolk. Not found in my list in the north of England, excluding the North and East Ridings, and absent or uncommon in the counties on the south coast.
Potter Demographics
Potter Political Affiliation
in United States
United States
Average
Potter Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Potter Come From? nationality or country of origin
Potter (Arabic: بوتر, Hindi: पोटर, Russian: Поттер) occurs more in The United States more than any other country or territory. It can also appear as a variant: Pötter, Pótter or Põtter. Click here for further possible spellings of this name.
How Common Is The Last Name Potter? popularity and diffusion
The last name Potter is the 3,201st most commonly held family name on a global scale, held by approximately 1 in 41,395 people. The last name is predominantly found in The Americas, where 67 percent of Potter live; 55 percent live in North America and 55 percent live in Anglo-North America. Potter is also the 671,014th most widely held first name on earth. It is borne by 184 people.
The last name Potter is most frequently used in The United States, where it is held by 93,059 people, or 1 in 3,895. In The United States Potter is most frequent in: California, where 9 percent are found, Texas, where 7 percent are found and Florida, where 5 percent are found. Barring The United States it occurs in 165 countries. It is also found in England, where 18 percent are found and Puerto Rico, where 11 percent are found.
Potter Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The frequency of Potter has changed over time. In The United States the number of people who held the Potter surname rose 392 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 193 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 175 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 427 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 8 percent between 1901 and 2014.
Potter Last Name Statistics demography
The religious adherence of those carrying the Potter surname is primarily Catholic (42%) in Ireland, Orthodox (70%) in Russia, Catholic (50%) in Belarus, Greek Orthodox (33%) in Lebanon and Orthodox (77%) in Ukraine.
In The United States those bearing the Potter last name are 14.89% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 61.66% registered to vote for the political party.
The amount Potter earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 0.65% less than the national average, earning 343,835 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 60.42% more than the national average, earning R 381,216 per year; in United States they earn 0.09% less than the national average, earning $43,110 USD per year and in Canada they earn 3.6% more than the national average, earning $51,472 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
Potter Name Transliterations
| Transliteration | ICU Latin | Percentage of Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Potter in the Hindi language | ||
| पोटर | potara | - |
| Potter in the Russian language | ||
| Поттер | potter | - |
| Potter in the Arabic language | ||
| بوتر | bwtr | - |
Search for Another Surname
Potter Reference & Research
Potter DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.
Potter FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
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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 Potter
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis