Ponder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Ponder

What does the name Ponder mean?

The ancient name Ponder literally means "dweller by the pond." 1 Another source has a slightly different origins, that of "the keeper of the pond or pound." 2

Early Origins of the Ponder family

The surname Ponder was first found in Cambridgeshire where the family name was referenced in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 when William le Pondere held estates in that shire. John le Ponder was registered as holding lands in Huntingdonshire in 1306. 1

Looking back further to France, Geoffry and Gilbert Ponhere were listed in Normandy (1189-1195) and the same reference lists William Pontier there in 1198. 3

Early History of the Ponder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ponder research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1561, 1589, 1650, 1698, 1710, 1713, 1723 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Ponder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ponder Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ponder, Ponde, Pounder, Pondre, Pounter, Ponter and many more.

Early Notables of the Ponder family

Paulin Pondre (1650-1723) who purchased the Château de Guermantes, a Château located in Guermantes, Seine-et-Marne, northern France in 1698. He engaged Jules Hardouin-Mansart for renovations to the building, completed in 1710. Pondre was receveur des finances at Lyon and had become one of the...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ponder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ponder Ranking

the United States, the name Ponder is the 2,297^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Ponder migration to the United States +

Ponder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Ponder, who landed in Virginia in 1638 5
John Ponder, who settled in Virginia in 1658
John Ponder, who settled in Maryland in 1674
John Ponder, who landed in Maryland in 1674 5

Ponder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Ponder, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1807 5
Simon Ponder, who arrived in Mississippi in 1871 5
Simon Ponder was on record in Mississippi 1871

Ponder migration to Australia +

Ponder Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Winwood Ponder, aged 32, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nimroud"

Contemporary Notables of the name Ponder (post 1700) +

Samantha Ponder (b. 1985), née Steele, an American sportscaster and host of Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN
Mel Ponder (b. 1968), American politician, Member of the Florida House of Representatives (2016-2020)
Danielle Ponder, American musician and lawyer, known for her debut album, Some of Us are Brave in 2022
Amos Lee Ponder Jr. (1887-1959), American justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1937 to 1959
James Maxie Ponder (1888-1958), American physician and the first African-American admitted to practice at Mercy Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, recipient of a Presidential Citation for this service in the US Army Medical Reserve Corps during World War I
Lieutenant William Thomas Ponder (1891-1947), American World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories
Philip Ponder (b. 1997), American-born-Taiwanese football player
Henry Ponder (b. 1928), American educator, President of Talladega College, Benedict College, and Fisk University.
Jimmy Ponder (1946-2013), American jazz guitarist
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)