2000
#10,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Follett
A diminutive of the occupational surname Fuller, referring to someone who fulls (cleans and thickens) raw cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,159 Americans carry the last name Follett. That puts it at #11,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Follett 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 Follett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,501
Census rank
#11,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,755 bearers of the surname Follett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Follett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Follett
Among Census respondents with the surname Follett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Follett 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 Follett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,511
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 85
- Two or more races3.0% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 34
- Black or African American1.1% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Follett
Follett 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
#10,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,950
+82 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 511 places
2020
#11,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,755
-195 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,294 | 2,868 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,805 | 2,950 | 1.00 | +82 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 511 places |
| 2020 | #11,027 | 2,755 | 0.92 | -195 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 222 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 Follett 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 | #10,805 | #11,027 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,950 | 2,755 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.92 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Follett bearers went from 2,950 to 2,755 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 222 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,805 to #11,027.
FAQ
Follett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Follett?
Name Census estimates that about 3,159 living Americans carry the surname Follett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,501 residents.
How common is Follett?
Follett ranks #11,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,755 people with the surname Follett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Follett.
Has Follett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Follett went from 2,950 recorded bearers to 2,755. That is a decrease of 195 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,805 to #11,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Follett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Follett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Follett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,511 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Follett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Follett (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 Follett mean?
A diminutive of the occupational surname Fuller, referring to someone who fulls (cleans and thickens) raw cloth. 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 Follett (0.92 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 have the surname Follett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.