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

Privett, 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 Privett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Privett in America

Privett is the 9117th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Privett surname appeared 3,583 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Privett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Privett 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 Privett

The surname Privett is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English words "privet" or "pryvet," which referred to the evergreen shrub known as privet. This surname may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who lived near a privet hedge or who worked with privet plants.

The earliest recorded instance of the Privett surname dates back to the 13th century, with references appearing in various historical documents from that time. One notable mention is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, which lists a Thomas Pryvet among the taxpayers.

In the 14th century, the Privett surname continued to appear in records across various regions of England. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which documented landowners and their holdings, mention a John Pryvet in Bedfordshire. Similarly, the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1349 record a Adam Privett among the tenants.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Privett surname became more widespread, with several notable individuals bearing the name. In 1462, a William Privett was recorded as a merchant in the city of London. Additionally, the Parish Registers of Wiltshire from the 16th century mention a Thomas Privett, born in 1584, who was a prominent landowner in the area.

The 17th century saw the rise of several notable figures with the Privett surname. One such individual was John Privett (1620-1679), a renowned architect and surveyor who contributed to the rebuilding efforts in London following the Great Fire of 1666. Another prominent figure was William Privett (1638-1712), a scholar and clergyman who served as the Vicar of St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire.

In the 18th century, the Privett surname continued to be associated with various professions and trades. For instance, Samuel Privett (1721-1793) was a respected blacksmith and metalworker in the town of Shrewsbury, while James Privett (1754-1832) was a successful merchant and trader based in Bristol.

Notably, the Privett surname has also been linked to several place names throughout England. For example, the village of Privett in Hampshire is believed to have derived its name from the surname, suggesting that the Privett family may have once held land or resided in that area.

Throughout history, the Privett surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Privitt, Privit, Pryvett, and Pryvet, among others. These variations often reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during earlier periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Privett

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!