Contents [hide]

Potter History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Potter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Potter

What does the name Potter mean?

The German surname Potter comes from the Middle Low German word "pot," meaning "a pot;" as such, it was likely an occupational name for a potter.

Early Origins of the Potter family

The surname Potter was first found in East Prussia, where the name Pott came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as numerous branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some of which were located in other countries. Through the acquisition of these estates as well as their important contributions to society, the family successfully elevated their social status.

Early History of the Potter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Potter research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1502, 1715 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Potter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Potter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pott, Pot, Potte, Potts, Pottes, Pots, Potes, Pottz, Pottez, Poott, Pootts, Bott, Botts, Botz and many more.

Early Notables of the Potter family

More information is included under the topic Early Potter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Potter World Ranking

In the United States, the name Potter is the 376^th most popular surname with an estimated 74,610 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Potter is ranked the 668^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,830 people with that name. 2 And in France, the name Potter is the 9,574^th popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Potter as 312^nd with 11,399 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Potter as 330^th with 1,900 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Potter as 225^th with 25,912 people. 6

Potter migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Potter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Potter, who arrived in Virginia in 1619
Mrs. Ann Potter, who landed in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "London Merchant", wife of Henry 7
Vincent Potter, who settled in New England in 1635
John Potter, aged 26, who settled in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Paul"
Martha Potter, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "David" in 1635 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Potter, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 7
Mary Potter, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 7
Matthew Potter, who landed in Virginia in 1711 7
Robert Potter, his wife and three children, who settled in Georgia in 1733
Richard Potter, who landed in America in 1760-1763 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Potter, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1812 7
Oliver Potter, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1812 7
Johnson Potter, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 7
Henry Potter, who arrived in New York in 1822 7
Philip Potter, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1827 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potter Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Edward Potter, (b. 1886), aged 19, Cornish driver from Newlyn, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on 1905 en route to Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA 8
Mr. John Thomas Potter, (b. 1882), aged 23, Cornish fitter from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on 25th June 1905 en route to Grass Valley, California, USA 8

Potter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Potter Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edward Potter, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Cornelius Potter, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
Levi Potter, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
Mr. Robert Potter U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 9
Mr. William Potter U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 9

Potter Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Potter, aged 24 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Minerva" departing from the port of Minerva, Galway but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 10

Potter migration to Australia +

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

Potter Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Samuel Potter, English convict who was convicted in Seaford, East Sussex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11

Potter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Potter, (Taylor), English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. John Potter, Scottish convict who was convicted in Ayr, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. William Potter, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr. John Potter, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
Mr. John Potter, (b. 1803), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potter 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:

Potter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Potter, (b. 1816), aged 25, British boot and shoe maker travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 17
Mr. H. Potter, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th May 1853 18
Mr. William Potter, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lord Ashley" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th October 1858 17
Mrs. Eliza Potter, British settler travelling from London with 3 children aboard the ship "Lord Ashley" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th October 1858 17
Mrs. H. Potter, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Potter (post 1700) +

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), born Helen Beatrix Potter, an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist, best known for her children's books featuring animals, especially The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which after being turned down by 6 publishers, she self-published, and was later commercially published selling more than 250 million copies., she later patented a stuffed toy, making him the oldest licensed character
K. C. Potter (1939-2024), American academic administrator
Joseph E. Potter (d. 2024), American sociologist, demographer, and professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin
Mike Potter (1949-2022), American NASCAR driver from Johnson City, Tennessee, his best career finish was a 15th at Nashville Speedway in 1981
Karl Harrington Potter (1927-2022), American-born writer, academic, Indologist for the University of Washington from Oakland, California
Earl H. Potter III (1947-2016), American university administrator of St. Cloud State University
Dean S. Potter (1972-2015), American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, BASEliner, and highliner who died during a wingsuit flight in Yosemite
Henry Potter (1881-1995), American Olympic sliver medalist for golf at the 1904 games
Brigadier-General Waldo Charles Potter (1885-1971), American Chairman of 2nd Section, War Department Manpower Board (1943-1945) 19
John William Potter (1918-2013), United States federal judge
... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Potter family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Michael Arthur Edwin Potter (1926-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Whangaparoa, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 20

Empress of Ireland

Master Willard Potter (1905-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 21
Mr. WiIlliam Scott Potter (1873-1914), "Brigadier" Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 21

Halifax Explosion

Mr. James Potter (1858-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 22

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Clyde Ashby Potter (1914-1941), Australian Acting Supply Petty Officer from Claremont, Western Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 23
Mr. Alfred William Potter (1923-1941), Australian Ordinary Seaman from South Geelong, Victoria, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 23

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William Potter, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 24
Mr. E Potter, British Stoker 2nd Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 24

HMS Royal Oak

Thomas W. Potter, British Marine with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 25
Stanley Potter (1920-1939), British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 25
Arthur Potter (1922-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 25

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Benjamin Potter, English Waiter from Horley, Surrey, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 26
Mr. Walter Potter, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 27

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Lily Alexenia Potter, (née Wilson), aged 56, American First Class passenger from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 7 28

SS Atlantic

Fred Potter, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 51)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Waldo Potter. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Potter/Waldo_Charles/USA.html
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html