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

Lyth, 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 Lyth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lyth in America

Lyth is the 126018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lyth surname appeared 136 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 Lyth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lyth 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 Lyth

The surname Lyth has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the medieval period. Derived from the Old English word "hlið," meaning a slope or hillside, the name was initially used to denote someone who lived near or on a hillside.

Lyth is a locational surname, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name likely hailed from a place called Lyth, a small village in the county of Yorkshire. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, features the spelling "Lith" in reference to this settlement.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Lyth was William de Lyth, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1277. The Feet of Fines were legal documents recording land transfers and property transactions, providing valuable insights into the lives of medieval landowners.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Lythe and Lithe, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. John de Lythe, a prominent merchant from York, is documented in records from the 1330s.

As time progressed, the surname Lyth spread beyond Yorkshire to other parts of England. Notable individuals bearing this name include Sir Robert Lyth (1585-1658), an English judge and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire during the reign of Charles I.

In the literary realm, John Lyth (1711-1783) was an English poet and clergyman known for his collection of pastoral poems titled "The Solitary Hours." His works celebrated the beauty of nature and rural life.

During the 18th century, the surname Lyth also found its way to North America, with several individuals migrating from England to the American colonies. One such example is Joseph Lyth (1732-1804), a Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Continental Army and later settled in Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, the Lyth family established themselves in various parts of the English-speaking world. John Lyth (1821-1886), a prominent architect from Scotland, designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Newington Free Church.

These examples illustrate the rich history and geographical spread of the surname Lyth, which has its roots firmly planted in the medieval landscape of Yorkshire, England, and has since branched out across generations and continents.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lyth

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

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

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

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