2000
#10,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Sublett
Derived from a place name meaning "south stream" in Old English, likely referring to someone living near such a stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,996 Americans carry the last name Sublett. That puts it at #11,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,404 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sublett 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
3.0K
1 in 114,404
Census rank
#11,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,613 bearers of the surname Sublett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sublett, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sublett
The surname Sublett is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place name, possibly a diminutive form of a larger settlement.
One theory suggests that Sublett may be derived from the Old English word "suðlēah," which means "southern meadow" or "southern wood." This could indicate that the name originated from a location in southern England or an area characterized by its southern meadows or woodlands.
Another possibility is that Sublett is a variant spelling of the name "Sublett" or "Sublette," which may have its origins in the Old French word "soublet," meaning "small" or "little." This could suggest that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a small or little settlement.
Historical records show that the name Sublett appeared in various forms throughout the centuries. In the Domesday Book, a great survey of England compiled in 1086, there are entries for places that could be potential sources of the name, such as "Suthlea" and "Suthlege."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Sublett is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, dated 1327, where a Robert Sublet is mentioned. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, which lists a John Sublet.
Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Sublett, Sublette, Sublet, and Sublit, among others. This variation in spelling was common in earlier times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
Notable individuals with the surname Sublett throughout history include:
1. William Sublett (1593-1671), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds.
2. John Sublett (1647-1712), an English clergyman and author known for his work "A Treatise on the Art of Preaching."
3. Elizabeth Sublett (1720-1801), an American colonist and landowner who played a role in the settlement of Kentucky.
4. Milton Sublett (1819-1888), an American lawyer and politician who served as a judge and as a member of the Missouri Legislature.
5. Benjamin Sublett (1857-1935), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Sublett Foundation in Texas.
These examples illustrate the presence of the Sublett surname across different time periods and geographical locations, highlighting its enduring legacy and diverse origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sublett
Among Census respondents with the surname Sublett, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sublett 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 Sublett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.7% · 1,952
- Black or African American16.0% · 417
- Two or more races4.7% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sublett
Sublett 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
#11,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,731
+76 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 526 places
2020
#11,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,613
-118 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,990 | 2,655 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,516 | 2,731 | 0.93 | +76 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 526 places |
| 2020 | #11,519 | 2,613 | 0.87 | -118 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 3 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 Sublett 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 | #11,516 | #11,519 | -0.0% |
| Count | 2,731 | 2,613 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.87 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sublett bearers went from 2,731 to 2,613 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,516 to #11,519.
FAQ
Sublett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sublett?
Name Census estimates that about 2,996 living Americans carry the surname Sublett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,404 residents.
How common is Sublett?
Sublett ranks #11,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,613 people with the surname Sublett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,996), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Sublett.
Has Sublett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sublett went from 2,731 recorded bearers to 2,613. That is a decrease of 118 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,516 to #11,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Sublett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sublett, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Sublett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.7% (1,952 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sublett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.7%), Black (16.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Sublett (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 Sublett mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "south stream" in Old English, likely referring to someone living near such a stream. 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 Sublett (0.87 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 are called Sublett?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Sublett is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.