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

Salt, 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 Salt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Salt in America

Salt is the 23153rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Salt surname appeared 1,102 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Salt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Salt 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 Salt

The surname Salt has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "sealt," which means salt or a salt-worker. This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of salt, a valuable commodity in medieval times.

The name Salt can be traced back to various regions of England, particularly in areas where salt production was prevalent, such as Cheshire and Worcestershire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Salt appears in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1195, which mentions a person named Ranulf de Salte.

In the 13th century, the surname Salt was also found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, where it was recorded as "Salte." This variation in spelling was common in the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized orthography.

The Domesday Book, the famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not explicitly mention the surname Salt. However, it does record several places with names derived from the word "salt," such as Saltersford in Warwickshire and Saltney in Cheshire, indicating the presence of salt-related activities in these areas.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Salt was William Salt, a 13th-century landowner from Staffordshire. Another notable figure was Thomas Salt, born around 1485, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1534.

In the 16th century, the surname Salt was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where Sir Walter Salt, born in 1571, became a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament.

During the 17th century, the name Salt was associated with several notable individuals, such as Sir Titus Salt, born in 1803, a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist who founded the model village of Saltaire in Yorkshire.

Another significant figure was Henry Salt, born in 1780, a renowned Egyptologist and traveler who played a crucial role in the acquisition of ancient Egyptian artifacts for the British Museum.

In the 19th century, the surname Salt continued to be influential, with individuals like Sir Thomas Salt, born in 1830, who served as a Member of Parliament and held various government positions.

Throughout its history, the surname Salt has been linked to various place names, including Saltford in Somerset, Saltburn in Yorkshire, and Saltfleetby in Lincolnshire, further reinforcing its connection to salt-related activities and locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Salt

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Salt, 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!