2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mute
A surname related to a person who was mute, unable to speak, or remained silent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Mute. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mute 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Mute in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mute, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and White (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mute
The surname MUTE has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "mut," which means "mute" or "silent." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was known for being quiet or unable to speak.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MUTE can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, which dates back to 1273. In this document, a person named Willelmus le Mute is mentioned, indicating the use of the name during that time period.
During the Middle Ages, the name MUTE appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, where a John Mute is listed. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 mention a Thomas le Mute.
In the 16th century, the name MUTE was found in the Parish Registers of Gloucestershire, where a John Mute was recorded in 1543. Another notable mention is in the Visitation of Kent in 1619, which includes a family with the surname MUTE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MUTE was Richard Mute, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1450. Another notable bearer of the name was William Mute, a merchant from London, who lived in the late 15th century.
In the 17th century, the name MUTE was associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Thomas Mute, a prominent lawyer and member of the Inner Temple in London, who lived from 1625 to 1689.
Another significant bearer of the surname MUTE was Sir John Mute, a wealthy landowner and member of Parliament for Wiltshire, who was born in 1645 and died in 1718.
In the 18th century, the name MUTE was carried by John Mute, a renowned author and poet from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1735 to 1801.
The 19th century saw the rise of William Mute, a successful businessman and philanthropist from Yorkshire, who was born in 1810 and passed away in 1892.
It is worth noting that the surname MUTE has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Mute's Green in Hertfordshire and Mute's Hill in Wiltshire, further reinforcing its historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mute
Among Census respondents with the surname Mute, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and White (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mute 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 Mute surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native74.3% · 78
- Black or African American9.5% · 10
- White5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mute
Mute appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,055 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 3,055 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 Mute 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 | #156,044 | #152,989 | 2.0% |
| Count | 104 | 105 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mute bearers went from 104 to 105 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 3,055 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #152,989.
FAQ
Mute surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mute?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Mute. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Mute?
Mute ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Mute. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Mute.
Has Mute become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mute went from 104 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mute?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mute, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and White (5.7%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mute in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mute appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (74.3%), Black (9.5%), White (5.7%). 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 Mute (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 Mute mean?
A surname related to a person who was mute, unable to speak, or remained silent. 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 Mute (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 Mute?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mute? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.