The Poff surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,021 people carried this name — #6,725 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 58,800 people counted. That is up 1% from 4,954 in 2000.

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In print

Poff in American newspapers,
1920.

Newspaper page from Richmond Daily Register carrying the name Poff
Richmond Daily Register 1920-08-17
Newspaper page from Richmond Daily Register carrying the name Poff
Richmond Daily Register 1920-08-17
Newspaper page from Richmond Daily Register carrying the name Poff
Richmond Daily Register 1920-10-26

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,515 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Poff in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1950s.

92 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Poff. The most, 21, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 41
Queensland 17
Victoria 17
South Australia 7
Western Australia 5
ACT (Canberra) 2
Tasmania 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Poff.

Who carried it

People named Poff,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lon Poff
    Lon Poff 1870–1952 · actor
  • Richard Harding Poff
    Richard Harding Poff 1923–2011 · judge
  • Basil John Poff d. 2022 · historian
  • Walter Poff 1931–2025 · basketball player

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Poff,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States272 records

272 records of the Poff name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 171
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 55
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 22
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 8
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 6
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 5
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert A. Poff

    Born 1920 in California. Enlisted 1943 at Fresno; survey chainman from Kern County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jerry Wayne Poff

    Born 1948; from De Land, Florida. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Aner Poff

    Arrived at New York in 1886 aboard the Belgenland from Antwerp, aged 22; laborer. From Gorsehurtz, Bavaria, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 272 records for Poff in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

New Zealand23 records

23 records of the Poff name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 21
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Leo Poff

    Died 1963, aged 45; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bessie Bell Poff

    Buried in 1979 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 87.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Poff

    Died 1926, aged 79; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 23 records for Poff in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Poff name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 5
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Trijntje Poff

    Married in 1656 in Bolsward.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Aartie Poff

    Buried in 1741 in Oss.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johan Fredrik Willem Poff

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1802 in Amst.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Poff in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Poff name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Donald Keith Poff

    Died 2000, aged 64; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Samuel Poff

    Died 1946; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Diane Rae Poff

    Buried in 1973 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 6 records for Poff in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Poff name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Albert Poff

    From Amtsbrink, Kr. Malchin. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 28 October 1914 (Jäger Battalion No. 14).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Paul Poff

    From Karlsruhe. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 8 October 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Poff name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Francies Virginia Poff

    Born 1939 in Paris; died 1997 in Vannes (Morbihan).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Poff.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Poff is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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