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

Art, 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 Art surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Art in America

Art is the 32792nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Art surname appeared 700 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Art.

We can also compare 2010 data for Art 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 Art

The surname Art has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "art," which means "bear." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who exhibited bear-like characteristics or perhaps had a physical resemblance to the animal.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Art can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1166, where a person named Radulfus Art is mentioned. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, documenting the collection of taxes and other payments.

Another early reference to the name Art appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1214, where a certain William Art is recorded. These rolls were legal records that documented the proceedings of the King's Court during the reign of King John.

In the 13th century, the surname Art was also present in various parts of England, as evidenced by records such as the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire, which mention a Robert Art in 1272, and the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, which list a Walter Art in 1279.

The name Art has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For instance, the village of Hartlip in Kent was once known as "Artelipe," derived from the Old English words "art" (bear) and "hleap" (leap), suggesting a place where bears were known to leap or roam.

One notable individual with the surname Art was John Art, a 14th-century English poet and historian. He is best known for his work "De Gestis Illustrium Virorum" (On the Deeds of Illustrious Men), a collection of biographies of notable figures from antiquity.

In the 16th century, a family named Art was prominent in the city of Norwich, England. Sir William Art (c. 1520-1587) was a wealthy merchant and served as the Mayor of Norwich in 1568.

Another prominent figure with the surname Art was Sir John Art (1615-1679), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk during the reign of King Charles II.

During the 17th century, the surname Art also appeared in various parts of Scotland. One notable individual was James Art (1628-1697), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Rector of the University of St. Andrews.

In the 18th century, a family named Art was influential in the county of Yorkshire. Sir Thomas Art (1738-1812) was a wealthy landowner and served as the High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1785.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Art

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

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 Art 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 Art 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 Art was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!