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

Lightfoot, 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 Lightfoot surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lightfoot in America

Lightfoot is the 4109th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lightfoot surname appeared 8,634 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Lightfoot.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lightfoot 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 Lightfoot

The surname Lightfoot is of English origin, derived from the Old English words 'leoht' meaning light and 'fot' meaning foot. It was initially a descriptive nickname given to someone who was light on their feet or had a nimble gait.

The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the late 12th century, where it appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190 as 'Lehtfot'. The Pipe Rolls were a series of administrative records maintained by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I.

The Lightfoot surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name is recorded as 'Lehtfot' in the county of Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Lightfoot surname was Roger Lightfoot, a prominent English merchant who lived in the 13th century. He is mentioned in records from the city of London, where he was involved in trade and commerce.

In the 16th century, the Lightfoot family had a notable presence in the county of Lancashire. John Lightfoot (1602-1675) was a renowned English churchman and scholar, known for his expertise in Hebrew and biblical studies. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1654 to 1655.

Another notable figure was John Lightfoot (1735-1788), an English botanist and explorer who traveled extensively in the British colonies of North America and the West Indies. He made significant contributions to the study of flora and plant life in these regions.

The Lightfoot surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Lightfoot Green in Lancashire and Lightfoot House in Yorkshire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the Lightfoot surname who resided there.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Lightfoot name was prominent in the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. John Lightfoot (1623-1703) was an English clergyman and biblical scholar who served as the master of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Lightfoot surname was William Lightfoot (1600-1675), an English planter and landowner who settled in Virginia in the mid-17th century. He is considered a prominent figure in early American colonial history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lightfoot

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

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

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

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