Contents [hide]

Potts 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

Potts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Potts

What does the name Potts mean?

The German surname Potts 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 Potts family

The surname Potts 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 Potts family

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

Potts 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 Potts family

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

Potts World Ranking

In the United States, the name Potts is the 829^th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Potts is ranked the 635^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,151 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Potts is the 992^nd popular surname with an estimated 759 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Potts as 491^st with 13,162 people. 4

Potts migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Potts Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Potts, who arrived in Virginia in 1608
Anthony Potts, aged 27, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Paul"
Lacrecia Potts, who landed in Virginia in 1649 5
Fran Potts, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 5
Mary Potts, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potts Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Lancelot Potts, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 5
Margret Potts, aged 22, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 5
Michel Potts, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 5
Hans Michael Potts, who settled in Philadelphia in 1732
John Lodwick Potts, who settled in Philadelphia in 1738
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potts Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Walter Potts, aged 25, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 5
Day Potts, who arrived in America in 1805 5
Hans Potts, who arrived in America in 1805 5
Hans and Hanna Potts, who settled in Philadelphia in 1805
James Potts, aged 21, who landed in Virginia in 1812 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potts migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Potts Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Stephen Potts U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 6

Potts migration to Australia +

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

Potts Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Miss Ellen Potts, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years , transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7

Potts Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Potts, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Joseph Potts, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
James Potts, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Francis Potts, aged 21, a chandler, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Buffalo" in 1836 11
Mr. George Potts, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Potts 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:

Potts Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Captain W. Potts, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "David" arriving in New Zealand in 1839 13
Mr. Potts, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 21st May 1841 13
Christopher Potts, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Mandarin" in 1841
David Potts, aged 26, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Hannah Potts, aged 23, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Potts (post 1700) +

Howard Kenton "Ken" Potts (1921-2023), American World War II veteran, a survivor of the USS Arizona (BB-39) when it was attacked on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor
Harry Russell "Russ" Potts Jr. (1939-2021), American businessman and politician, Member of the Virginia Senate (1992-2008)
Erwin Potts (1932-2017), American businessman, the first non-McClatchy family member CEO of the McClatchy Company from 1989 to 1996
Andy Potts (b. 1976), American Olympic triathlete
Annie Potts (b. 1952), American television and film actress
Lieutenant General William Edward Potts (1921-2005), American Army Officer and a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
David Potts Jr. (1794-1863), American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1824-26; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, 1831-39 14
Clyde Potts, American Republican politician, Mayor of Morristown, New Jersey, 1929-37 14
Charles J. Potts, American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Wicomico County, 1947-50 14
C. H. Potts, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 1912; Mayor of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 1917-19 14
... (Another 52 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Potts family +

Empress of Ireland

Mrs. Margaret Potts (1888-1914), née Heavey Canadian Second Class Passenger from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15

HMS Hood

Mr. Frank S Potts (b. 1920), English Writer serving for the Royal Navy from West Hartlepool, County Durham, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 16

HMS Repulse

Mr. Stewart Potts, British Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 17
Mr. Charles S H Potts, British Stoker 2ne Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 17

HMS Royal Oak

Herbert H. Potts, British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 18

USS Arizona

Mr. Howard K. Potts, American Coxswain working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 19

USS Indianapolis

Dale Floyd Potts (1917-1994), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he survived the sinking 20

Vimy Ridge

James Watson Potts (1889-1917), Canadian telegraphist, Lieutenant in the 44th Battalion from Manitoba who died at Vimy Ridge June 1917

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"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)
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 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Britannia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HMS BUFFALO 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Buffalo.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.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
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew