Surname Pound - Meaning and Origin

Pound: What does the surname Pound mean?

The surname Pound is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is a topographical name for someone who lived near a pound, derived from the Old English pre 7th Century word "pund" which means a pound or enclosure. This was a place where stray animals were impounded until claimed by their owners, usually found in every medieval village, with the keeper of it having the same job description. The name could also be an occupational one where the original bearer was a person who worked at such a facility. As a surname, Pound, along with its variant forms such as Pounds, Pounder, Poundman, etc., dates back to the mid-12th Century. It spread across England and into the United States and other parts of the world through migration. Early recordings include those of William de la Punde in Sussex in 1296, while George Pounde was recorded at the church of St Mary Woolnoth, in the city of London, in 1613. The name has several notable bearers including the American poet Ezra Pound.

Pound: Where does the name Pound come from?

The last name Pound is primarily found in the United Kingdom, particularly in England. In England, Pound is an old Norman name derived from the French word "pont", meaning bridge. Historically, the name was derived from a person who owned or managed a bridge.

In the early 20th century, Pound had become one of the top 200 surnames in England. By 2019, Pound was the 568th most common surname in the country, with the highest concentration in and around the city of Gloucester in the West Midlands region.

Outside of the UK, Pound is found in the United States, primarily in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. In 2019, it was the 2,537th most common surname in the US.

Today, people with the last name Pound still tend to be concentrated in the same areas where the name was originally popular and has maintained popularity, such as the UK and the US Midwest.

Variations of the surname Pound

The Pound surname is believed to have been derived from a local geographical feature such as a pound, a man-made enclosure where sheep and cattle were penned. It is a common English and Anglo-Saxon surname, found most commonly in the United Kingdom and the United States. Variant spellings of Pound include Pounde, Pounds, Pounce, Pounces, Pinder, and Pond.

The Pound surname can be traced back to medieval England, specifically to Wiltshire, where the first recorded spelling of the name was found. The earliest recorded spelling of Pound was 'de la Pond' found in the 1273 Wiltshire Cartulary. The name was also found in Yorkshire in 1275, when Robert Ponde was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of that year.

The Pound surname is thought to have come from the Old English word 'pond' meaning a pound, an enclosure for keeping sheep or cattle. It may be a nickname adopted by those who kept such pounds for livestock. In some cases, the surname may be a shortened form of Pounddate, which could have been derived from the Old French term 'pounde-dare', meaning 'to take the toll of freight or passengers'.

Over the years, the spelling of Pound has been altered, leading to a range of variants. The most common of these include Pounde, Pounds, Pounce, Pounces, Pinder, and Pond. These variants can be found in records across the United Kingdom and the United States. In some cases, this surname may even have become assimilated with other surnames, such as Bender and Binder.

Famous people with the name Pound

• Ezra Pound: an American expatriate poet and critic who was a major figure in the early modernist movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
• Edgar Pound: an American farmer, businessman, and diplomat.
• Olga Pound: an American silent film actress.
• Mary Pound: an American author and illustrator known for her works related to nature and wildlife.
• Karl Haller Pound: an American-Canadian author, poet and textbook writer.
• James Pound: an American physician, academic, and author.
• Cameron Pound: an Australian professional mixed martial artist.
• Jack Pound: an English cricketer.
• Sir Richard Pound: a Canadian lawyer and former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
• Hilary Pound: an English actor.
• Ethel Pound: an Australian chess player.
• David Pound: a British inventor and businessman, known for establishing a chain of laundries in the 1960s.
• George Pound: an American politician.
• Mary Elizabeth Lease Pound: an American social worker and public health nurse.
• Charlotte Pound: an English actress of stage and screen.
• William Pound: an English lawyer and philanthropist.
• Clement Pound: an American professor of music theory and composition.
• Lynne Pound: an American journalist and potter.
• Harrison Pound: an American composer and music professor.
• Junius Pound: an American artist and designer who was a key figure in the mid-20th-century modernist movement.

Other surnames

PounceyPountious