2000
#5,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Lett
An English occupational surname referring to a tenant farmer leasing land from a landlord.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,953 Americans carry the last name Lett. That puts it at #5,542 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lett 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,296
Census rank
#5,542
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,063 bearers of the surname Lett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5542nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lett, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lett
The surname Lett is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Lincolnshire, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "laet," which means "tenant farmer" or "peasant."
In the Domesday Book, a survey of land and property conducted in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror, there are several references to individuals bearing the surname Lett or similar spellings such as Lette or Latt. One notable entry is that of a certain Godric Lette, who held land in the village of Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire.
The earliest recorded example of the surname Lett can be traced back to the 13th century, with a John le Lette mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. The prefix "le" was a common addition to surnames during that time, indicating the person's occupation or place of origin.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Lette, Latt, and Lett, as evidenced by records from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Robert Lette was mentioned in 1317.
One notable figure with the surname Lett was William Lett (1572-1629), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Norwich and later as the Bishop of Ely. He was known for his religious writings and sermons.
Another notable individual was Sir John Lett (1718-1789), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1786 to 1789.
In the 19th century, Joseph Lett (1820-1902) was a prominent Irish antiquarian and naturalist known for his contributions to the study of Irish archaeology and natural history.
The surname Lett was also associated with the place name Letton, a village in Herefordshire, England. The name Letton is derived from the Old English words "laet" and "tun," meaning "the farm or settlement of the tenant farmers."
Overall, the surname Lett has a long and rich history, with its origins deeply rooted in the medieval English countryside and the lives of tenant farmers and peasants who worked the land.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lett
Among Census respondents with the surname Lett, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lett 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 Lett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.4% · 2,933
- Black or African American42.7% · 2,589
- Two or more races5.4% · 325
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 154
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lett
Lett 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
#5,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,385
+391 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.16
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#5,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,063
-322 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,351 | 5,994 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,451 | 6,385 | 2.16 | +391 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #5,542 | 6,063 | 2.03 | -322 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 91 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 Lett 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 | #5,451 | #5,542 | -1.7% |
| Count | 6,385 | 6,063 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.16 | 2.03 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lett bearers went from 6,385 to 6,063 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,451 to #5,542.
FAQ
Lett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lett?
Name Census estimates that about 6,953 living Americans carry the surname Lett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,296 residents.
How common is Lett?
Lett ranks #5,542 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,063 people with the surname Lett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,953), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lett.
Has Lett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lett went from 6,385 recorded bearers to 6,063. That is a decrease of 322 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,451 to #5,542.
What does the Census say about the background of Lett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lett, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Lett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (2,933 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.4%), Black (42.7%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Lett (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 Lett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a tenant farmer leasing land from a landlord. 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 Lett (2.03 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 have the last name Lett?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Lett on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.