2000
#57,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Lyte
An English surname derived from the Middle English "lyte", meaning small or little.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 494 Americans carry the last name Lyte. That puts it at #52,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 693,835 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lyte 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.
Bearers in the US
494
1 in 693,835
Census rank
#52,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
431
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 431 bearers of the surname Lyte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lyte
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lyte 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 Lyte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.0% · 349
- White10.4% · 45
- Two or more races4.9% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lyte
Lyte 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
#51,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 406
+74 bearers (+22.3%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 6,125 places
2020
#52,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 431
+25 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 790 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,406 | 332 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,281 | 406 | 0.14 | +74 bearers (+22.3%) | Up 6,125 places |
| 2020 | #52,071 | 431 | 0.14 | +25 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 790 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 Lyte 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 | #51,281 | #52,071 | -1.5% |
| Count | 406 | 431 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lyte bearers went from 406 to 431 (+6.2% change). The surname moved down 790 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,281 to #52,071.
FAQ
Lyte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lyte?
Name Census estimates that about 494 living Americans carry the surname Lyte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 693,835 residents.
How common is Lyte?
Lyte ranks #52,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 431 people with the surname Lyte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (494), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Lyte.
Has Lyte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lyte went from 406 recorded bearers to 431. That is an increase of 25 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,281 to #52,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Lyte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lyte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lyte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.0%), White (10.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Lyte (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 Lyte mean?
An English surname derived from the Middle English "lyte", meaning small or little. 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 Lyte (0.14 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 Lyte?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.