2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lytes
An English surname derived from a location with a bright or shining meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Lytes. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lytes 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Lytes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lytes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lytes
The surname Lytes has its origins in England, with records indicating that it first appeared in the 11th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "lyte," which means "small" or "little." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname for someone of small stature or a younger child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lytes can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Lyte" in this historical document, indicating its prevalence in the region during that time.
The surname Lytes has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For example, the village of Lytes Cary in Somerset may have been named after an early bearer of the surname, as the place was once referred to as "Cary Lytes" in historical records. Additionally, the surname has been linked to the village of Lyte's Carey in Gloucestershire, further solidifying its connection to specific locations.
Notable individuals with the surname Lytes include John Lytes, a merchant and Member of Parliament for Bodmin in Cornwall during the 16th century (born around 1520, died in 1595). Another prominent figure was Sir Richard Lytes, a baronet and landowner in Wiltshire who lived in the 17th century (born in 1619, died in 1681).
In the literary world, Henry Francis Lytes (1793-1847) was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer, best known for his hymn "Abide with Me." His work has been celebrated and sung in churches worldwide.
Moving into the 20th century, Sir Felton Lytes (1903-1978) was a prominent British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Westbury from 1945 to 1970. He made significant contributions to the development of the aerospace industry in the United Kingdom.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Lyte and Lyte-Smythe, have also been recorded throughout history, reflecting the evolution of the surname over time and across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lytes
Among Census respondents with the surname Lytes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lytes 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 Lytes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.3% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lytes
Lytes 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,139 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 10,139 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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 Lytes 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 | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lytes bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Lytes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lytes?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Lytes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Lytes?
Lytes ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Lytes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lytes.
Has Lytes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lytes went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Lytes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lytes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Lytes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lytes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (96.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Lytes (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 Lytes mean?
An English surname derived from a location with a bright or shining meadow. 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 Lytes (0.04 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 have the last name Lytes?
Want to know how many people have the last name Lytes? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.