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

Lyte, 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 Lyte surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lyte in America

Lyte is the 51281st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lyte surname appeared 406 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lyte.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lyte 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 Lyte

The surname Lyte has its origins in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "lyt", which means small or little. This suggests that the name was originally used as a nickname for someone of small stature or a younger person.

The earliest recorded use of the name Lyte can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a person named William Lyte. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire in 1214, referring to a certain Hugh Lyte.

In the 13th century, the name Lyte was particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon in the southwest of England. It is believed that the surname may have originated from the place name "Lyte's Cary" in Somerset, which was recorded as "Lyta's Cari" in the Domesday Book of 1086.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Lyte was Henry Lyte, a botanist and antiquarian who lived from 1529 to 1607. He is best known for his work "A Niewe Herball" published in 1578, which was one of the first English books on plants and herbs.

Another renowned figure with the surname Lyte was Thomas Lyte, an English composer and musician who lived from around 1550 to 1638. He served as a court musician to King James I and is credited with contributing to the development of English madrigal music.

In the 17th century, the surname Lyte was sometimes spelled as "Lite" or "Litt". One example is Edward Lyte, who was born in 1620 and served as a Member of Parliament for Tregony in Cornwall.

During the 18th century, the name Lyte was associated with several notable clergymen. This includes Joseph Lyte, who was born in 1701 and served as the rector of Bridstow in Herefordshire, and Thomas Lyte, born in 1725, who was a renowned preacher and author of religious works.

In more recent history, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Lyte was Henry Francis Lyte, an Anglican divine and hymn writer who lived from 1793 to 1847. He is best known for his beloved hymn "Abide with Me", which was written shortly before his death.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lyte

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

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

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

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