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

Letson, 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 Letson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Letson in America

Letson is the 12948th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Letson surname appeared 2,372 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 Letson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Letson 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 Letson

The surname Letson has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "let" meaning to allow and "son" meaning son, likely referring to a son who was permitted to inherit land or property. The name was originally spelled as Letteson or Leteson.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, which mention a Robert Leteson. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer. This suggests the name was present in the Yorkshire area during this time period.

The Letson name can also be traced back to the village of Letson, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is believed that the name may have originated from this place name, with families adopting the surname based on their residency in the village. The village name itself is thought to derive from the Old English words "lett" meaning a barrier or obstruction, and "tun" meaning a farm or settlement, possibly referring to a settlement near a barrier or obstacle.

In the 13th century, records from the Hundred Rolls of 1273 list a Geoffrey Leteson and a William Leteson from Oxfordshire. The Hundred Rolls were a series of inquisitions conducted by the English Crown to determine the rights and obligations of landholders.

One notable figure with the Letson surname was Sir Ralph Letson (c.1480-1555), a Yorkshire landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1537 and was involved in the suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a popular uprising against the religious reforms of the English Reformation.

Another historical figure with the Letson name was John Letson (c.1535-1605), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Baydeux in the Diocese of Salisbury from 1587 until his death.

In the 17th century, the Letson surname appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with the arrival of Thomas Letson in 1634. He was one of the early settlers of the colony and established a family line in the New World.

Other notable individuals with the Letson surname include William Letson (1732-1805), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and John Letson (1815-1884), a American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Mississippi from 1876 to 1882.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Letson

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

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

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

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