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

Padgett, 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 Padgett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Padgett in America

Padgett is the 1397th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Padgett surname appeared 25,413 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Padgett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Padgett 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 Padgett

The surname Padgett is of English origin, arising in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, a common source of surnames at the time. The most likely origin is the town of Padgate in Warrington, Cheshire, located in northwest England. This place name itself stems from the Old English words "pad" meaning toad and "gatu" meaning road or path, suggesting it was once a place where toads crossed a particular path or route.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, which mentions a Richard de Padgat. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Padgett or similar spellings like Padgat and Padyate. This suggests the name was already well-established in parts of northern England by the 13th century.

While the Padgett name does not appear in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, it is thought to have originated around that time or shortly after, as many surnames began emerging from place names during the 11th and 12th centuries in England.

Over the centuries, various spellings of the name have existed, including Padgat, Padgate, Padyate, and Padgitt, reflecting regional dialectal variations and evolving spelling conventions. Some early notable individuals with this surname include John Padgett, born around 1470 in Yorkshire, and Thomas Padgett, a merchant from Lancashire who lived in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, John Padgett (1610-1677) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament for Wigan. Another John Padgett (1677-1741) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer, known for his work on calculating the orbits of comets.

Moving into the 18th century, William Padgett (1715-1781) was an influential English businessman and landowner from Yorkshire. And in the 19th century, Joseph Padgett (1821-1892) was a respected English architect who designed several notable buildings in London.

These examples illustrate the long and varied history of the Padgett surname, spanning multiple centuries and encompassing individuals from various professions and backgrounds, all tied together by the shared ancestral origins of this distinctly English name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Padgett

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

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

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

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