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

Legett, 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 Legett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Legett in America

Legett is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Legett surname appeared 154 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Legett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Legett 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 Legett

The surname Legett has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "legat," which means messenger or envoy. This likely referred to someone who worked as a messenger or courier, delivering important messages and documents.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Legett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where a certain William Legat is mentioned. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1221, with the mention of a Robert Le Gat.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Legat, Leggatt, Leggett, and Legett. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

During the Middle Ages, the Legett family held lands and properties in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. In the 14th century, a notable figure was John Legett, who served as the Bailiff of Coventry in 1367.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England completed in 1086, does not contain any direct mentions of the Legett surname. However, it does record individuals with similar names, such as Legat and Legatus, who may have been ancestors or forerunners of the Legett family.

In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Legett family was William Legett, born around 1520 in Warwickshire. He was a successful merchant and landowner, known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting local churches and charitable causes.

Another notable figure was Sir John Legett, who lived in the 17th century and served as a Member of Parliament for Coventry between 1640 and 1653. He played an active role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.

During the 18th century, the Legett family continued to maintain a presence in various parts of England, with some members venturing into the legal profession or pursuing careers in the clergy. One such individual was Reverend Thomas Legett, born in 1712 in Oxfordshire, who served as the Vicar of St. Mary's Church in Warwick.

Moving into the 19th century, the Legett surname became more widely dispersed across England and beyond, as family members migrated to other parts of the British Isles, as well as to North America and other territories of the British Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Legett

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

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

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

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