2000
#12,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,253
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Letson
A surname of English origin derived from the Middle English given name Lett, a short form of Leticia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,524 Americans carry the last name Letson. That puts it at #13,278 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,798 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Letson 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
2.5K
1 in 135,798
Census rank
#13,278
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,201 bearers of the surname Letson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13278th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Letson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Letson
Among Census respondents with the surname Letson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Letson 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 Letson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 1,933
- Two or more races5.6% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 65
- Black or African American2.5% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Letson
Letson 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
#12,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,372
+119 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 343 places
2020
#13,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,201
-171 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 330 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,605 | 2,253 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,948 | 2,372 | 0.80 | +119 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 343 places |
| 2020 | #13,278 | 2,201 | 0.74 | -171 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 330 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 Letson 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 | #12,948 | #13,278 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,372 | 2,201 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.74 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Letson bearers went from 2,372 to 2,201 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 330 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,948 to #13,278.
FAQ
Letson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Letson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,524 living Americans carry the surname Letson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,798 residents.
How common is Letson?
Letson ranks #13,278 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,201 people with the surname Letson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,524), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Letson.
Has Letson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Letson went from 2,372 recorded bearers to 2,201. That is a decrease of 171 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,948 to #13,278.
What does the Census say about the background of Letson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Letson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (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 Letson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (1,933 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Letson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Two or More Races (5.6%), Hispanic (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 Letson (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 Letson mean?
A surname of English origin derived from the Middle English given name Lett, a short form of Leticia. 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 Letson (0.74 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 are called Letson?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Letson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.