2000
#11,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,524
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Putt
An English occupational surname for someone who digs wells or pits, derived from the Old English word "pytt."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,684 Americans carry the last name Putt. That puts it at #12,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Putt 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Putt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,703
Census rank
#12,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,341 bearers of the surname Putt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Putt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Putt
The surname Putt has its origins in England, with records indicating its presence as early as the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "putt," which referred to a deep wide hole or pit, likely reflecting the occupation or residence of the earliest bearers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a William Putte is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already established itself in various parts of England during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various historical records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John del Putt is listed in 1315. This form, "del Putt," suggests a connection to a specific place name, possibly referring to a residence near a pit or a deep hole.
The Putt surname has also been associated with place names like Puttenhall, a township in Cheshire, and Puttenham, a village in Hertfordshire. These place names share a similar root, indicating a potential link between the surname and the locations where early bearers may have resided.
Notable individuals with the surname Putt include Sir Thomas Putt (1615-1687), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1680-1681. Another prominent figure was John Putt (1766-1838), an English cricketer who played for the Hampshire county team in the early 19th century.
In the literary realm, Henry Putt (1807-1876) was an English writer and journalist who contributed to various publications, including the Illustrated London News and Punch magazine.
Moving forward, Charles Henry Putt (1838-1910) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Kent, England, who made significant contributions to the local community.
Lastly, William Putt (1892-1963) was a British artist known for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting the countryside of Somerset and Devon.
These examples demonstrate the longevity and diversity of the Putt surname throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in English society and its association with various professions and geographical locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Putt
Among Census respondents with the surname Putt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Putt 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 Putt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,137
- Two or more races3.8% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Putt
Putt 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
#12,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 863 places
2020
#12,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,341
-184 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 286 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,449 | 2,524 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,312 | 2,525 | 0.86 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 863 places |
| 2020 | #12,598 | 2,341 | 0.78 | -184 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 286 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 Putt 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 | #12,312 | #12,598 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,525 | 2,341 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.78 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Putt bearers went from 2,525 to 2,341 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 286 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,312 to #12,598.
FAQ
Putt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Putt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,684 living Americans carry the surname Putt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,703 residents.
How common is Putt?
Putt ranks #12,598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,341 people with the surname Putt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Putt.
Has Putt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Putt went from 2,525 recorded bearers to 2,341. That is a decrease of 184 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,312 to #12,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Putt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Putt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Putt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Putt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Putt (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 Putt mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who digs wells or pits, derived from the Old English word "pytt." 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 Putt (0.78 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 Putt?
See how many people have the last name Putt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.