Contents [hide]

Pound History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Pound History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

When the ancestors of the Pound family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Hampshire. Their name, however, is a reference to the Old English word pound, meaning an enclosure where animals were kept, and indicates that the original bearer lived near such a structure.

Early Origins of the Pound family

The surname Pound was first found in Hampshire where they were granted lands by Wiliam the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. They held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Drayton in that shire. Unfortunately the grant and details of the village and lands of Drayton, according to the Domesday Book taken in 1086 have been lost, and it is not possible to identify the residence at that time.

Early History of the Pound family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pound research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1573, 1669, 1687, 1689, 1690, 1694, 1697, 1703 and 1724 are included under the topic Early Pound History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pound Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Pound has been recorded under many different variations, including Pownd, Pownde, Pound, Pounds, Pounde, de la Pound and others.

Early Notables of the Pound family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

James Pound (1669-1724), English astronomer, was the son of John Pound, of Bishop's Canning, Wiltshire. He matriculated at St. Mary Hall, Oxford, on 16 March 1687; graduated B.A. from Hart Hall on 27...
On the infamous side, Thomas Pound (died 1703) was an English pirate who was briefly active in the coastal waters of New England during 1689, he was initially found guilty for acts of piracy in 1690 b...

Pound Ranking

In the United States, the name Pound is the 8,702^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Pound migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Pounds were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Pound Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Pound, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 2
Susanna Pound, who settled in Virginia in 1698

Pound Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Pound, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Pound Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin Franklin Pound, who landed in New York in 1845 2
Edward Pound, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1858

Pound migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pound Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Daniel Pound U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3
Mr. Daniel Pound U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 3

Pound Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Pound, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Ward" from Limerick, Ireland

Pound migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pound Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Pound, British convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Henry Pound, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bussorah Merchant" in 1848 5
George H. Pound, aged 16, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Ascendant" 6
George Pound, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 7
William Pound, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "William Stuart" 8

Pound migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Pound Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Emma Pound, (b. 1843), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 9
George Pound, aged 31, a railway labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Sarah A. Pound, aged 24, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
George Pound, aged 1, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Lottie Pound, aged 2 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874

Pound migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Pound Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Pound, who settled in Jamaica in 1665
James Pound, who settled in Barbados in 1684

Contemporary Notables of the name Pound (post 1700) +

Roscoe Pound (1870-1964), American legal scholar
Robert Pound (b. 1919), American physicist, eponym of the Pound-Rebka experiment
Louise Pound (1872-1958), American educator
Ezra Pound (1885-1972), American modernist poet and critic
Thompson Pound, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1980 11
Thaddeus Coleman Pound (1833-1914), American Republican politician, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, 1870-72; U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 8th District, 1877-83 11
Stephen B. Pound, American politician, Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1873; Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1875 11
Kenneth Pound, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1952 11
John B. Pound, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Rules Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 11
James H. Pound, American politician, Representative from Michigan 1st District, 1898, 1912; Democratic Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 3rd Circuit, 1899; Candidate for justice of Michigan State Supreme Court, 1903 11
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUSSORAH MERCHANT 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848BussorahMerchant.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ascendant.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TRAFALGAR 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Trafalgar-March.htm
South Australian Register Friday 15 July 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) William Stuart 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamstuart1853.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html