Find out how popular the last name Armistead is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Armistead.

Armistead, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Armistead surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Armistead in America

Armistead is the 12296th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Armistead surname appeared 2,528 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Armistead.

We can also compare 2010 data for Armistead to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Armistead

The surname Armistead originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English words "eormen" meaning "entire" and "stede" meaning "place" or "homestead." It was a toponymic surname given to someone who lived at a particular homestead or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Ermested" in reference to a landowner in Norfolk. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Armistead.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, indicating that it was particularly prevalent in these northern counties of England. Historical documents from this period mention individuals such as Richard de Ermested (1220) and William de Armistead (1285).

The Armistead family held lands and properties in various parts of England, including the manor of Armistead in Cheshire, which was likely the namesake of the surname. Notable figures from this lineage include Sir John Armistead (1527-1593), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Yorkshire.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, George Armistead (1636-1697) was a prominent loyalist who fought for King Charles I. He later settled in Virginia, where his descendants became influential in colonial America.

Among the notable American Armisteads was Lewis Addison Armistead (1817-1863), a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded while leading an assault against Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Other notable individuals with the surname Armistead include Samuel Armistead (1744-1818), a merchant and planter in Virginia, and George Armistead (1780-1818), who commanded Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and was responsible for the successful defense that inspired the writing of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Armistead

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Armistead.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Armistead was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Armistead has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Armistead was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Armistead, please contact us.

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