2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Trappett
A surname derived from the Old French "trapiere" meaning a maker of traps for hunting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Trappett. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trappett 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Trappett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trappett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trappett
The surname Trappett is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "trappan," which means "to ensnare" or "to trap." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a trapper or hunter, responsible for setting traps to capture animals for their fur or meat.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Trappit, Trappitt, and Trappett appearing in historical documents and records. One of the earliest known references is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated 1273, which mentions a William Trappet.
In the 14th century, the Trappett surname gained prominence in the county of Wiltshire, where it was associated with the village of Trappett, now known as Troughton. This connection suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of residence or origin.
Notable individuals bearing the Trappett surname include:
1. John Trappett (c. 1540-1612), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the rector of Pittington, County Durham.
2. William Trappett (c. 1620-1689), a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Taunton, Somerset.
3. Elizabeth Trappett (c. 1675-1745), a renowned embroiderer and needleworker whose pieces were sought after by wealthy patrons in London.
4. Samuel Trappett (1718-1793), a respected architect and surveyor who contributed to the design of several churches and public buildings in the city of Bath.
5. Mary Trappett (1810-1892), a pioneering educator and philanthropist who established one of the first schools for underprivileged children in the city of Bristol.
While the Trappett surname is not among the most common in England, it has persisted over the centuries and can be found in various regions of the country. The name's origin and historical ties to occupations and places provide an intriguing glimpse into the lives and stories of those who bore this surname throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trappett
Among Census respondents with the surname Trappett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Trappett 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 Trappett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trappett
Trappett appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,004 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,004 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 Trappett 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 | #146,201 | #150,205 | -2.7% |
| Count | 113 | 109 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trappett bearers went from 113 to 109 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,004 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,205.
FAQ
Trappett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trappett?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Trappett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Trappett?
Trappett ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Trappett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Trappett.
Has Trappett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trappett went from 113 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Trappett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trappett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Trappett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trappett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Trappett (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 Trappett mean?
A surname derived from the Old French "trapiere" meaning a maker of traps for hunting. 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 Trappett (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Trappett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.