2000
#61,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Lycett
A habitation surname derived from a place name, most likely referring to someone from Licet in Normandy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 312 Americans carry the last name Lycett. That puts it at #76,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,098,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lycett 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 Lycett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
312
1 in 1,098,572
Census rank
#76,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
272
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 272 bearers of the surname Lycett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 76236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lycett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lycett
The surname Lycett originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "lycc" or "lice," meaning a corpse or dead body, and "hyt," meaning a dwelling or shelter. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a mortuary or a place where the dead were kept.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lycett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named William Lycett is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it is spelled "Lychett."
In the 13th century, the name Lycett was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. It is believed that the name may have originated in these regions, possibly in the vicinity of a mortuary or a place associated with the dead.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Lycett. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as "Liccefeld" and "Lichefelde."
Notable individuals with the surname Lycett throughout history include:
1. Sir Francis Lycett (1608-1675), an English politician and member of Parliament for Worcestershire.
2. William Lycett (1770-1836), an English artist and engraver known for his drawings of animals and landscapes.
3. Mary Lycett (1851-1932), a British social reformer and activist for women's rights and education.
4. John Lycett (1884-1962), an English cricketer who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
5. Reginald Lycett (1892-1976), a British military officer who served in World War I and later became an author and historian.
The name Lycett has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Lycett Green in Staffordshire and Lycett Hill in Cumbria. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lycett
Among Census respondents with the surname Lycett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lycett 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 Lycett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 239
- Two or more races5.5% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lycett
Lycett 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
#68,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 285
-23 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 7,891 places
2020
#76,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
-13 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 7,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,058 | 308 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #68,949 | 285 | 0.10 | -23 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 7,891 places |
| 2020 | #76,236 | 272 | 0.09 | -13 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 7,287 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 Lycett 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 | #68,949 | #76,236 | -10.6% |
| Count | 285 | 272 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lycett bearers went from 285 to 272 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 7,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #68,949 to #76,236.
FAQ
Lycett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lycett?
Name Census estimates that about 312 living Americans carry the surname Lycett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,098,572 residents.
How common is Lycett?
Lycett ranks #76,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 272 people with the surname Lycett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (312), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lycett.
Has Lycett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lycett went from 285 recorded bearers to 272. That is a decrease of 13 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #68,949 to #76,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Lycett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lycett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Lycett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lycett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Lycett (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 Lycett mean?
A habitation surname derived from a place name, most likely referring to someone from Licet in Normandy. 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 Lycett (0.09 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 Lycett?
See how common the surname Lycett is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.