2000
#39,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Errett
A variant spelling of the French surname Hérard of Germanic origin meaning military leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 596 Americans carry the last name Errett. That puts it at #44,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 575,091 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Errett 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
596
1 in 575,091
Census rank
#44,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
520
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 520 bearers of the surname Errett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Errett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Errett
The surname Errett is believed to have originated in England, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the surname Everitt or Everett, which derived from the Old English personal name Æfræd or Æfræt. These names were composed of the elements "efe" meaning "boar" and "ræd" meaning "counsel" or "advice."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Errett can be traced back to the 13th century in various English records and documents. One notable early bearer of this surname was William Errett, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1230.
In the 14th century, the name Errett appeared in various forms, including Erret, Errate, and Erytt, indicating regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 recorded a John Erret in Oxfordshire, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 listed a Thomas Errate in Yorkshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Errett continued to be found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Lincolnshire. Notable individuals from this period include Richard Errett, a landowner in Oxfordshire who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524, and John Errett, a freeman of the city of York in 1672.
As the centuries passed, some Errett families migrated to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was William Errett, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1733 and served in the Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Errett throughout history include:
1. Isaac Errett (1820-1888), an American minister and editor who played a significant role in the Restoration Movement of the 19th century.
2. Russell Errett (1817-1891), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
3. George Errett (1847-1924), an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives.
4. James Errett (1861-1934), an American lawyer and judge who served as a justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
5. Henry Errett (1882-1961), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Worcestershire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Errett
Among Census respondents with the surname Errett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Errett 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 Errett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 477
- Two or more races5.0% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Errett
Errett 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
#40,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 532
+14 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 1,091 places
2020
#44,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 520
-12 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,885 | 518 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,976 | 532 | 0.18 | +14 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 1,091 places |
| 2020 | #44,477 | 520 | 0.17 | -12 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 3,501 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 Errett 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 | #40,976 | #44,477 | -8.5% |
| Count | 532 | 520 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Errett bearers went from 532 to 520 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 3,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,976 to #44,477.
FAQ
Errett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Errett?
Name Census estimates that about 596 living Americans carry the surname Errett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 575,091 residents.
How common is Errett?
Errett ranks #44,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 520 people with the surname Errett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Errett.
Has Errett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Errett went from 532 recorded bearers to 520. That is a decrease of 12 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,976 to #44,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Errett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Errett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Errett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (477 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Errett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Errett (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 Errett mean?
A variant spelling of the French surname Hérard of Germanic origin meaning military leader. 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 Errett (0.17 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 share the surname Errett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.