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

Jett, 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 Jett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jett in America

Jett is the 2985th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jett surname appeared 12,008 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Jett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jett 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 Jett

The surname Jett is of English origin, deriving from the Old French word "jet" meaning "throw" or "cast." It likely originated as an occupational name for someone who worked as a stone mason or builder, referring to their skill in casting or throwing stones and other materials during construction.

The name Jett is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century, with some of the earliest recorded instances appearing in medieval English records and documents. One notable example is a mention of a Robert le Jettour in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1212.

In the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, there is a reference to a William Gettour, which is thought to be an early spelling variation of the surname Jett. This suggests that the name was present in various parts of England during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Jett surname was Thomas Jett, who was born around 1450 in Wiltshire, England. He is recorded as having served as a yeoman in the court of King Edward IV.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Jett surname continued to spread across England, with notable individuals including William Jett (1530-1595), a merchant and landowner from Kent, and John Jett (1610-1677), a Puritan minister who emigrated to Virginia Colony in the early 1600s.

In the 18th century, Joseph Jett (1720-1789) was a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a colonel in the Virginia militia. He played a role in several battles, including the Siege of Yorktown.

Another notable bearer of the Jett surname was Sir William Jett (1785-1867), a British naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the early 19th century.

Throughout history, the Jett surname has also been associated with various place names and localities, such as Jett's Hill in Virginia, which was named after the Jett family who settled in the area in the 17th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jett

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

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

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

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