2000
#29,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Corbit
Of English origin, potentially derived from a locational surname referring to someone from Corbett, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 919 Americans carry the last name Corbit. That puts it at #31,051 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 372,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corbit 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.
Bearers in the US
919
1 in 372,964
Census rank
#31,051
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
801
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 801 bearers of the surname Corbit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31051st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbit, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corbit
The surname Corbit has its origins in England, traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "corf" and "byt," which together mean "dweller at the quarried pit." This suggests the earliest bearers of this name resided near a quarry or pit used for mining or excavation purposes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Corbit can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where it appears as "Corbett." This spelling variation was commonly used interchangeably with Corbit in those times. The surname is also mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, indicating its presence in various regions of England.
During the Middle Ages, the name Corbit was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was John Corbit, a prominent landowner who lived in Somerset County in the late 13th century. Another was William Corbit, a respected clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Devizes, Wiltshire, in the early 15th century.
As the centuries passed, the Corbit surname continued to spread across England, with various spellings emerging, such as Corbett, Corbytt, and Corbitt. In the 16th century, records show a Thomas Corbit residing in the parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, in 1583.
One of the earliest known individuals to carry the Corbit surname in America was Robert Corbit, who immigrated from England to Maryland in the late 17th century. He and his family settled in Cecil County, where they established a prominent presence and played a significant role in the local community.
Another notable figure was Samuel Corbit, born in 1701 in Pennsylvania. He was a prosperous merchant and landowner, and his descendants went on to become influential members of society in various parts of the United States.
Over the centuries, the Corbit surname has been carried by several other notable individuals, including Sir Vincent Corbit, a renowned English architect in the 18th century, and James Corbit, a respected jurist and politician who served as a judge in Delaware in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corbit
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbit, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Corbit 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 Corbit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 673
- Black or African American6.9% · 55
- Two or more races4.6% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corbit
Corbit 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
#30,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 772
+12 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 978 places
2020
#31,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 801
+29 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,325 | 760 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,303 | 772 | 0.26 | +12 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 978 places |
| 2020 | #31,051 | 801 | 0.27 | +29 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 748 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 Corbit 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 | #30,303 | #31,051 | -2.5% |
| Count | 772 | 801 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.27 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corbit bearers went from 772 to 801 (+3.8% change). The surname moved down 748 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,303 to #31,051.
FAQ
Corbit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corbit?
Name Census estimates that about 919 living Americans carry the surname Corbit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 372,964 residents.
How common is Corbit?
Corbit ranks #31,051 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 801 people with the surname Corbit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (919), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Corbit.
Has Corbit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corbit went from 772 recorded bearers to 801. That is an increase of 29 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,303 to #31,051.
What does the Census say about the background of Corbit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbit, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Corbit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (673 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corbit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (6.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Corbit (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 Corbit mean?
Of English origin, potentially derived from a locational surname referring to someone from Corbett, England. 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 Corbit (0.27 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 many people are called Corbit?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Corbit on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.