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    The surname Poindexter

    A surname, carried by 11,531 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈpɔɪnˌdɛkstɚ/ 3 syllables Soundex P532

    Poindexter: #3,129 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Poindexter #3,129, 11,531 people Poindexter: #3,129 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Poindexter #3,129, 11,531 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Poindexter is more common than 98.1% of them.

    Origin

    From Jersey Norman Poingdestre (literally “right fist”). The sense “bookish or socially unskilled person” is from the character of the same name in the 1959 animated television series Felix the Cat, which is a revival of the original Felix the Cat animated films from 1919 to 1936. Its first use appears c. 1981 in the publication University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Slang.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 11,531 people named Poindexter in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 26,775 Americans. That is up 2.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 11,201.

    #3,129
    rank among US surnames
    11,531
    people in 2010
    3.9
    per 100,000 Americans
    +2.9%
    change since 2000 (was #2,958)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #3,120Cota11,55426,722
    #3,121Perrin11,55026,731
    #3,122McAdams11,54726,738
    #3,124Keeler11,54626,740
    #3,126Menard11,54326,747
    #3,127Ricci11,53426,768
    #3,128Burkholder11,53226,773

    Who is named Poindexter

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    51% of people named Poindexter identified as white (not Hispanic), 42% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.4% as two or more races.

    • White (not Hispanic) 51%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 42%
    • Two or more races 3.4%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Poindexters

    4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Alan G. Poindexter
      American test pilot and astronaut (1961-2012)
    • Larry Poindexter
      American actor, born 1959
    • George Poindexter
      American politician (1779-1853)
    • Miles Poindexter
      American politician (1868–1946)

    Questions

    Where does the surname Poindexter come from?
    From Jersey Norman Poingdestre (literally “right fist”). The sense “bookish or socially unskilled person” is from the character of the same name in the 1959 animated television series Felix the Cat, which is a revival of the original Felix the Cat animated films from 1919 to 1936. Its first use…
    How common is the surname Poindexter?
    11,531 people in the United States had the surname Poindexter in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 26,775 Americans. It ranked 3,129th of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Poindexter?
    In the 2010 Census, 51% of people named Poindexter identified as white (not Hispanic), and 42% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Poindexter?
    Alan G. Poindexter, American test pilot and astronaut (1961-2012), followed by Larry Poindexter.
    Where is the surname Poindexter most common?
    Wikidata records people named Poindexter in the United States.
    How do you pronounce Poindexter?
    Poindexter is /ˈpɔɪnˌdɛkstɚ/, 3 syllables.
    Is the surname Poindexter getting more or less common?
    More common. 11,201 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,531 in 2010, up 2.9%.