2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Tett
Possibly derived from an occupational surname referring to a tent maker or person involved in weaving or textiles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 202 Americans carry the last name Tett. That puts it at #107,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,696,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tett 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 Tett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
202
1 in 1,696,804
Census rank
#107,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
176
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 176 bearers of the surname Tett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tett, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (13.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tett
The surname TETT is an English surname that originated in the county of Dorset, England, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "tetta," which means "a small piece of land or a homestead." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely landowners or farmers.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname TETT can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset from the year 1176, where a person named Richard Tett is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were ancient public records that documented financial transactions and payments made to the Exchequer.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a document recording landowners in various counties of England, there is an entry for a William Tett from the village of Wimborne Minster in Dorset. This provides further evidence of the surname's origins in this region.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname TETT appeared in various spellings, such as Tette, Tet, and Tette, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time.
Notable historical figures with the surname TETT include Sir William Tett (1570-1638), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Dorset, who served as a Member of Parliament for the county in the early 17th century.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Tett (1615-1692), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Ark of Safety" and "The Humble Remonstrance."
In the 18th century, John Tett (1720-1789) was a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker in London, known for his intricate and highly accurate timepieces.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname TETT in North America was William Tett, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 as one of the early English settlers in the colony.
Another notable figure was Benjamin Tett (1768-1842), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral.
While the surname TETT has scattered appearances in various historical records and documents, it remains a relatively uncommon name, particularly in its original spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tett
Among Census respondents with the surname Tett, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (13.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tett 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 Tett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.5% · 80
- Black or African American32.4% · 57
- Two or more races13.1% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tett
Tett 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
#99,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
+20 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 3,348 places
2020
#107,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
-5 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 7,676 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #99,845 | 181 | 0.06 | +20 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 3,348 places |
| 2020 | #107,521 | 176 | 0.06 | -5 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 7,676 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 Tett 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 | #99,845 | #107,521 | -7.7% |
| Count | 181 | 176 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tett bearers went from 181 to 176 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 7,676 positions in the national ranking, going from #99,845 to #107,521.
FAQ
Tett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tett?
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the surname Tett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,696,804 residents.
How common is Tett?
Tett ranks #107,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 176 people with the surname Tett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tett.
Has Tett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tett went from 181 recorded bearers to 176. That is a decrease of 5 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #99,845 to #107,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Tett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tett, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (13.1%). 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 Tett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.5% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.5%), Black (32.4%), Two or More Races (13.1%). 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 Tett (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 Tett mean?
Possibly derived from an occupational surname referring to a tent maker or person involved in weaving or textiles. 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 Tett (0.06 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 Tett?
Want to know how many people have the surname Tett? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.