Initial recordings of potential spelling variations of this surname (such as "Pund", "Pound", and potentially "Ponder" or "Pounder") first appear in Sussex, England in the 12th century,[1] suggesting Old English origin.
However, overlap with similar surnames (such as "Pont", "Punt", "Pons", and maybe even "Poyntz") in earlier historical records following and preceding the Norman Conquest of England[2] may hint at potential earlier Anglo-Norman origin.
[3] A significant number of occurrences of the Pond surname in North America indicate some form of link with one Robert Pond, an English carpenter and early figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
[4] The Pond and Winthrop families were neighbors in Sussex and apparently shared close ties as evidenced by the frequency the Pond family appears in the Winthrop Papers.
[5] Since the initial Great Migration period, there have been relatively few recorded cases of the Pond surname appearing in North America as the result of emigration.