2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Patent
English surname possibly derived from a description of someone talkative or eloquent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Patent. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patent 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Patent in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patent, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patent
The surname PATENT has its origins in England, first appearing in records around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "patent," meaning "open" or "evident," which was likely initially used as a nickname for someone with a forthright or open manner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PATENT can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, where a person named Richard Patent is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
During the medieval period, the PATENT surname was primarily concentrated in the counties of Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire in eastern England. It is believed that the name may have originated in one of these areas, potentially from a specific place or location.
In the 16th century, the PATENT surname appears in various historical documents, such as parish records and tax rolls. Notable individuals from this period include John Patent (c. 1520-1590), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral.
The PATENT surname also has connections to several place names in England, such as Patent Caledon in Hertfordshire and Patent Shelley in Essex. These place names likely derived from individuals with the PATENT surname who were landowners or residents in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the PATENT surname, including:
1. Robert Patent (c. 1540-1612), an English lawyer and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. William Patent (1679-1751), a British military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.
3. Mary Patent (1688-1768), an English writer and translator who is best known for her translations of French works.
4. John Patent (1725-1789), a British architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London.
5. George Patent (1807-1882), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Patent Trusts, a charitable organization that supported educational initiatives.
While these are just a few examples, the PATENT surname has a rich history that spans centuries and various fields, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patent
Among Census respondents with the surname Patent, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Patent 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 Patent surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 102
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patent
Patent 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
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,451 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+7 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 20,451 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.8%) | Up 7,788 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 Patent 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 | #149,446 | 5.0% |
| Count | 103 | 110 | 6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patent bearers went from 103 to 110 (+6.8% change). The surname moved up 7,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #149,446.
FAQ
Patent surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patent?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Patent. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Patent?
Patent ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Patent. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Patent.
Has Patent become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patent went from 103 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 7 (+6.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Patent?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patent, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Patent in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patent appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Black (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Patent (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 Patent mean?
English surname possibly derived from a description of someone talkative or eloquent. 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 Patent (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 share the surname Patent?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.