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

Follett, 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 Follett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Follett in America

Follett is the 10805th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Follett surname appeared 2,950 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 Follett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Follett 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 Follett

The surname Follett originated in medieval England, deriving from the Old French word "folet," meaning a young bird or chick. It likely referred to a person with a lively or youthful demeanor, or perhaps a bird-like appearance.

In the early 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Foliot, Folliott, and Folliett, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling during that era. The earliest recorded instance of the name Follett is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, where it is spelled "Foliot."

One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was Sir John Follett, a prominent English lawyer and judge who lived from 1372 to 1444. He served as the Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Henry VI.

The name Follett has been associated with several place names in England, such as Follett's Green in Hertfordshire and Follett's Farm in Wiltshire, suggesting that some families may have derived their surname from the location they lived or worked.

In the 16th century, Sir Martin Folliott (c. 1500-1588) was a respected Member of Parliament and landowner in Somerset, England. His family's coat of arms featured three bird's heads, a possible nod to the surname's avian origins.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Colonel Benjamin Follett (1610-1685) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was later appointed as the Governor of Bandon in Ireland.

The name Follett has also been associated with literary figures, such as the American novelist and short story writer, Wilson Follett (1887-1963), known for his contributions to the English language and his works on grammar and usage.

Another notable individual was Sir William Webb Follett (1798-1845), an English lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General for England and Wales during the early Victorian era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Follett

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Follett, please contact us.

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