2000
#6,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Daggett
A Norman French habitational surname derived from the place name Dachet, meaning "farmstead at the ditch."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,465 Americans carry the last name Daggett. That puts it at #6,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daggett 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 Daggett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,718
Census rank
#6,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,766 bearers of the surname Daggett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daggett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Daggett
The surname Daggett has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "dæg," meaning day, and the suffix "-ett," a diminutive form, which suggests a small person named after the day they were born.
The name first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England, where it was recorded as "Daggit." This early spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, the surname was commonly found in records from the county of Somerset, indicating that the name may have originated in this region. One of the earliest documented instances is that of William Daggett, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327.
The surname Daggett has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Daglingworth in Gloucestershire and Dagworth in Suffolk. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Daggett throughout history include Sir John Daggett (1580-1636), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the King's Bench. Another prominent figure was Naphtali Daggett (1727-1780), an American politician and jurist who served as a Senator for Connecticut.
In the 17th century, several Daggett families migrated to the American colonies, establishing roots in New England. One of the earliest settlers was John Daggett, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1630 and later became a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636.
Another noteworthy individual was Ebenezer Daggett (1763-1851), an American educator and clergyman who served as the seventh president of Yale College (now Yale University) from 1766 to 1777.
In the 19th century, Rollin M. Daggett (1831-1901) gained recognition as a prominent American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada.
One of the more recent historical figures with the surname was Willard Daggett (1892-1975), an American educator and author who made significant contributions to the field of education, particularly in curriculum development and instruction.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daggett
Among Census respondents with the surname Daggett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Daggett 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 Daggett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 4,151
- Black or African American4.3% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 190
- Two or more races3.2% · 154
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daggett
Daggett 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
#6,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,035
+110 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 344 places
2020
#6,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,766
-269 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,365 | 4,925 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,709 | 5,035 | 1.71 | +110 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 344 places |
| 2020 | #6,805 | 4,766 | 1.59 | -269 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 96 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 Daggett 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 | #6,709 | #6,805 | -1.4% |
| Count | 5,035 | 4,766 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.59 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daggett bearers went from 5,035 to 4,766 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,709 to #6,805.
FAQ
Daggett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daggett?
Name Census estimates that about 5,465 living Americans carry the surname Daggett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,718 residents.
How common is Daggett?
Daggett ranks #6,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,766 people with the surname Daggett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,465), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Daggett.
Has Daggett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daggett went from 5,035 recorded bearers to 4,766. That is a decrease of 269 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,709 to #6,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Daggett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daggett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Daggett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (4,151 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daggett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (4.3%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Daggett (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 Daggett mean?
A Norman French habitational surname derived from the place name Dachet, meaning "farmstead at the ditch." 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 Daggett (1.59 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 Americans have the surname Daggett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.