Pontotoc County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,957. Its county seat is Pontotoc. It was created on February 9, 1836 from lands ceded to the United States under the Chickasaw Cession. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word meaning "land of hanging grapes". The original Natchez Trace and the current-day Natchez Trace Parkway both pass through the southeast corner of Pontotoc County.