2000
#5,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,918
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Piatt
A French occupational surname referring to a tender of magpies or a magpie catcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,910 Americans carry the last name Piatt. That puts it at #7,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,807 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piatt 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
4.9K
1 in 69,807
Census rank
#7,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,282 bearers of the surname Piatt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piatt
The surname Piatt is believed to have originated in England in the early medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "pyt," meaning a pit or hollow. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a pit or worked as a pit-maker or digger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Piet." This entry is from Essex, indicating that the name may have been particularly common in that region during the Norman period.
By the 13th century, the surname had evolved into various spellings, such as Pyatt, Pyott, and Piot. These variants were found in historical records from counties like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire, suggesting a wider geographic distribution.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Pyatt, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 14th century. He is recorded in the city's archives as having served as the Mayor of London in 1372.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have been associated with the village of Pyatt's Green in Oxfordshire, which may have derived its name from an early inhabitant or landowner bearing the Piatt surname.
Another individual of note was Sir Henry Piatt (1588-1657), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire during the reign of King Charles I.
During the 17th century, the Piatt surname also found its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Richard Piatt, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635.
In the 18th century, Jacob Piatt (1756-1834) was a notable figure in the early history of the United States. He served as a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner and farmer in Ohio.
Another significant bearer of the name was John James Piatt (1835-1917), an American poet and journalist who was part of the literary movement known as the "Fireside Poets." He published numerous collections of poetry and was also a respected critic and editor.
Throughout its history, the Piatt surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, politicians, landowners, soldiers, and literary figures, reflecting the diverse paths taken by its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piatt
Among Census respondents with the surname Piatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Piatt 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 Piatt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 3,795
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 179
- Two or more races3.5% · 150
- Black or African American2.2% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piatt
Piatt 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
#4,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,463
+1,545 bearers (+26.1%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Up 671 places
2020
#7,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,282
-3,181 bearers (-42.6%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 2,749 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,417 | 5,918 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,746 | 7,463 | 2.53 | +1,545 bearers (+26.1%) | Up 671 places |
| 2020 | #7,495 | 4,282 | 1.43 | -3,181 bearers (-42.6%) | Down 2,749 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 Piatt 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 | #4,746 | #7,495 | -57.9% |
| Count | 7,463 | 4,282 | -42.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.53 | 1.43 | -43.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piatt bearers went from 7,463 to 4,282 (-42.6% change). The surname moved down 2,749 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,746 to #7,495.
FAQ
Piatt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piatt?
Name Census estimates that about 4,910 living Americans carry the surname Piatt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,807 residents.
How common is Piatt?
Piatt ranks #7,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,282 people with the surname Piatt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Piatt.
Has Piatt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piatt went from 7,463 recorded bearers to 4,282. That is a decrease of 3,181 (-42.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,746 to #7,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Piatt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Piatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (3,795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piatt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Piatt (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 Piatt mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a tender of magpies or a magpie catcher. 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 Piatt (1.43 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 surname Piatt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.