2000
#1,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.20
Uncommon Last name
Britt
An English locational surname derived from the Old English word for someone living in or near Brittany, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,936 Americans carry the last name Britt. That puts it at #1,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Britt surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Britt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,100
Census rank
#1,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,594 bearers of the surname Britt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Britt, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Britt
The surname Britt has its origins in England, first appearing in the medieval period between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "Brit" or "Briton," referring to the native inhabitants of Britain before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Britt can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Brita" or "Britta," indicating that it was already in use by that time.
The name Britt was likely adopted as a surname by individuals who were either of Briton descent or lived in areas with a strong Briton influence. Some variations of the spelling include Britt, Britte, Brite, and Bryte, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes that occurred over time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Britt was Sir Richard Britt, a British naval officer who lived in the late 16th century and played a significant role in the Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604). Another prominent individual was John Britt, an English clergyman born in 1616, who served as the Dean of Arches and was involved in ecclesiastical law and administration.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Britt was particularly prevalent in counties such as Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall, which had a strong Briton heritage. In fact, some place names in these areas, like Brittville and Brittany, are thought to be derived from the same root as the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Britt include Nathaniel Britt (1675-1737), an English mathematician and author known for his work on navigation and nautical astronomy, and William Britt (1801-1863), a British sailor who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several significant naval battles during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the name Britt spread throughout England and later to other parts of the world through emigration, it continued to be used as a surname, with various families and individuals carrying on the legacy and contributing to the rich tapestry of history associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Britt
Among Census respondents with the surname Britt, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Britt bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Britt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 20,910
- Black or African American20.5% · 6,057
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,271
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 946
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 256
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 154
Timeline
Historical Census data for Britt
Britt appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,474
+1,274 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 10.67
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#1,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,594
-1,880 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 9.90
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,059 | 30,200 | 11.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,115 | 31,474 | 10.67 | +1,274 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #1,168 | 29,594 | 9.90 | -1,880 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 53 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Britt surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,115 | #1,168 | -4.8% |
| Count | 31,474 | 29,594 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 10.67 | 9.90 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Britt bearers went from 31,474 to 29,594 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,115 to #1,168.
FAQ
Britt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Britt?
Name Census estimates that about 33,936 living Americans carry the surname Britt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,100 residents.
How common is Britt?
Britt ranks #1,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,594 people with the surname Britt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,936), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Britt.
Has Britt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Britt went from 31,474 recorded bearers to 29,594. That is a decrease of 1,880 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,115 to #1,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Britt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Britt, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Britt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (20,910 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Britt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.7%), Black (20.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Britt (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Britt mean?
An English locational surname derived from the Old English word for someone living in or near Brittany, France. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Britt (9.90 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Britt?
See how many people are called Britt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.