2000
#14,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Legette
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of gaiters, a type of leg covering.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,366 Americans carry the last name Legette. That puts it at #13,997 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Legette 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
2.4K
1 in 144,867
Census rank
#13,997
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,063 bearers of the surname Legette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13997th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Legette, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.7%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Legette
The surname LEGETTE is believed to have originated in France, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "legette," which referred to a small leg or a small measure of length. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or an occupational name for someone involved in the measurement or production of cloth or textiles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LEGETTE name can be found in the Livre des Métiers, a 13th-century French manuscript that documented the various professions and trades in Paris. In this document, the name "Jehan Legette" is mentioned as a cloth merchant.
During the 14th century, the LEGETTE name appears in various parish records and tax rolls throughout Normandy and Brittany in France. For example, in 1387, a "Guillaume Legette" is listed as a resident of the village of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer in Normandy.
As the name spread across Europe, different spellings emerged, such as "Legett," "Leggett," and "Leggatt." In England, the LEGETTE name can be traced back to the 16th century, with records showing a "John Legett" born in Oxfordshire in 1542.
Notable individuals with the LEGETTE surname include:
1. Jean-Baptiste Legette (1707-1783), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Théâtre des Variétés.
2. Robert Legette (1792-1859), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina.
3. Marie-Louise Legette (1819-1897), a French painter known for her portraits and still-life works.
4. William Legette (1866-1942), an English cricketer who played for the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
5. Émilie Legette (1892-1971), a French novelist and playwright whose works often explored themes of love and betrayal.
While the LEGETTE name has been present throughout various regions and time periods, its origins can be traced back to medieval France, where it likely emerged as a descriptive or occupational surname related to the textile industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Legette
Among Census respondents with the surname Legette, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.7%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Legette 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 Legette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.7% · 1,521
- White19.5% · 403
- Two or more races3.6% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Legette
Legette 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
#13,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,244
+323 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 785 places
2020
#13,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,063
-181 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,302 | 1,921 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,517 | 2,244 | 0.76 | +323 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 785 places |
| 2020 | #13,997 | 2,063 | 0.69 | -181 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 480 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 Legette 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 | #13,517 | #13,997 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,244 | 2,063 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.69 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Legette bearers went from 2,244 to 2,063 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 480 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,517 to #13,997.
FAQ
Legette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Legette?
Name Census estimates that about 2,366 living Americans carry the surname Legette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,867 residents.
How common is Legette?
Legette ranks #13,997 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,063 people with the surname Legette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Legette.
Has Legette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Legette went from 2,244 recorded bearers to 2,063. That is a decrease of 181 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,517 to #13,997.
What does the Census say about the background of Legette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Legette, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.7%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Legette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (1,521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Legette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (73.7%), White (19.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Legette (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 Legette mean?
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of gaiters, a type of leg covering. 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 Legette (0.69 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 Americans have the surname Legette?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.