2000
#7,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Liggett
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "a gate or enclosed space."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,727 Americans carry the last name Liggett. That puts it at #7,737 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liggett 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 Liggett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,510
Census rank
#7,737
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,122 bearers of the surname Liggett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7737th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liggett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liggett
The surname Liggett has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lyce" meaning a body and "geat" meaning a gate or path. This suggests the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a gate or path leading to a church or cemetery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, which mentions a Walter Liggat. The varied spellings of the name, such as Liggett, Lygat, Lygett, and Lyggate, were common during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
The Liggett surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Lygat Bridge in Derbyshire and Lygat Field in Nottinghamshire. These place names likely contributed to the adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.
In the 16th century, the Liggett surname appeared in the records of the Parish of Cheadle, Staffordshire, with the mention of a William Liggett in 1594. Another notable early record is that of John Liggett, who was born in Chigwell, Essex, in 1638.
Throughout history, the Liggett surname has been borne by several notable individuals, including:
1. William Liggett (1789-1865), an American businessman and pioneer who founded the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
2. Walter Liggett (1886-1935), an American journalist and co-founder of the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) syndicate.
3. Albert Liggett (1887-1963), an American businessman and co-founder of the Liggett Drug Company, a chain of retail drug stores.
4. Thomas Liggett (1944-2014), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "Klute" and "The Hunter."
5. Sarah Liggett (1957-present), an American artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public installations.
The Liggett surname has a rich history dating back to medieval England, with its origins likely rooted in locational references and place names. While the spelling variations have evolved over time, the name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, from business and journalism to arts and entertainment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liggett
Among Census respondents with the surname Liggett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Liggett 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 Liggett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 3,682
- Black or African American3.5% · 146
- Two or more races3.4% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liggett
Liggett 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
#7,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,535
+208 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#7,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,122
-413 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,120 | 4,327 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,348 | 4,535 | 1.54 | +208 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #7,737 | 4,122 | 1.38 | -413 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 389 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 Liggett 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 | #7,348 | #7,737 | -5.3% |
| Count | 4,535 | 4,122 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.38 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liggett bearers went from 4,535 to 4,122 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 389 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,348 to #7,737.
FAQ
Liggett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liggett?
Name Census estimates that about 4,727 living Americans carry the surname Liggett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,510 residents.
How common is Liggett?
Liggett ranks #7,737 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,122 people with the surname Liggett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Liggett.
Has Liggett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liggett went from 4,535 recorded bearers to 4,122. That is a decrease of 413 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,348 to #7,737.
What does the Census say about the background of Liggett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liggett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Liggett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (3,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liggett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Black (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Liggett (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 Liggett mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "a gate or enclosed space." 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 Liggett (1.38 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 Liggett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.