2000
#12,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Mullett
A surname of French origin referring to someone with a round head or close-cropped hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,690 Americans carry the last name Mullett. That puts it at #12,584 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mullett 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 Mullett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,418
Census rank
#12,584
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,346 bearers of the surname Mullett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12584th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullett, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mullett
The surname Mullett originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "mullet," which referred to a small fish of the grey mullet species. This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who bore a resemblance to the fish or who caught or sold mullets for a living.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mullett can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, compiled in 1273, which mentions a person named William Mulet. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1309, where a John Mullet is listed.
The Mullett surname has undergone several spelling variations over the centuries, including Mulet, Mullit, and Mullitt. These variations were often due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In the 16th century, the Mullett name was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Thomas Mullett, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol who lived from around 1520 to 1590. Another was John Mullett, a clergyman and writer who was born in 1592 and served as the Rector of Wigginton in Hertfordshire.
During the 17th century, the surname Mullett appeared in various parish records across England. For example, in 1635, a marriage between Richard Mullett and Elizabeth Hooper was recorded in the parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London.
One of the most famous individuals with the Mullett surname was Charles Mullett (1800-1876), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Dramatic College and the Church of St. Philip in Sydenham.
In the 19th century, the Mullett name gained prominence in the United States. One notable American with this surname was John Mullett (1838-1913), a prominent architect who designed several government buildings in Washington, D.C., including the Old Executive Office Building and the Pension Building (now the National Building Museum).
Other notable individuals with the Mullett surname include Alfred Mullett (1834-1890), an English painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life, and Mary Mullett (1844-1906), an English novelist and travel writer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mullett
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullett, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mullett 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 Mullett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,213
- Two or more races2.3% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 50
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mullett
Mullett 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
#12,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,560
+279 bearers (+12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 304 places
2020
#12,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,346
-214 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 410 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,478 | 2,281 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,174 | 2,560 | 0.87 | +279 bearers (+12.2%) | Up 304 places |
| 2020 | #12,584 | 2,346 | 0.78 | -214 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 410 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 Mullett 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 | #12,174 | #12,584 | -3.4% |
| Count | 2,560 | 2,346 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.78 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mullett bearers went from 2,560 to 2,346 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 410 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,174 to #12,584.
FAQ
Mullett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mullett?
Name Census estimates that about 2,690 living Americans carry the surname Mullett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,418 residents.
How common is Mullett?
Mullett ranks #12,584 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,346 people with the surname Mullett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,690), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mullett.
Has Mullett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mullett went from 2,560 recorded bearers to 2,346. That is a decrease of 214 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,174 to #12,584.
What does the Census say about the background of Mullett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullett, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Mullett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mullett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Mullett (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 Mullett mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone with a round head or close-cropped hair. 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 Mullett (0.78 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 Mullett?
See how common the surname Mullett is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.