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

Court, 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 Court surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Court in America

Court is the 12289th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Court surname appeared 2,530 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 Court.

We can also compare 2010 data for Court 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 Court

The surname Court is of Anglo-Norman French origin, derived from the Old French word "curt" or "cort", meaning a courtyard or an enclosed area. It emerged as a surname in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman settlers established themselves in various regions of the country.

The name was initially used as a topographic surname, given to individuals who lived near or worked at a courtyard or a manor house. It was also used as an occupational surname for those who held positions within the royal or noble households, such as courtiers or servants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Court can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conquer. The name is mentioned in various counties, including Essex, Suffolk, and Kent.

In the 12th century, the name Court appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where it was recorded as "de la Curt". This early spelling suggests that the name was initially used as a locational surname, referring to a specific place or settlement.

Notable individuals with the surname Court throughout history include:

1. Richard Court (c. 1573-1662), an English politician and member of the Long Parliament during the English Civil War.
2. John Court (1628-1688), an English politician and member of the Parliament of England during the reign of Charles II.
3. Marie Court (1703-1777), a French artist and painter known for her portraits and religious works.
4. Joseph Desir Court (1798-1865), a Belgian lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1857 to 1858.
5. Robert Court (1837-1905), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and represented Kent County Cricket Club.

The surname Court has also been associated with various place names, such as Courtmacsherry in County Cork, Ireland, and Courthill in Pembrokeshire, Wales. These place names likely originated from the Old French word "curt" or its variations, reflecting the presence of courtyards or manorial estates in those locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Court

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Court, 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!