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

Trout, 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 Trout surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Trout in America

Trout is the 2826th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Trout surname appeared 12,758 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Trout.

We can also compare 2010 data for Trout 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 Trout

The surname Trout is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "truht" or "trohte," meaning a small stream or river. It is believed to have originated in England, likely in areas where there were numerous small streams or rivers, such as in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Worcestershire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Truhte." This suggests that the name was already established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including "Trought," "Trowte," and "Trouthe." These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Trout was John Trout, a prominent merchant from the city of Bristol. He was recorded as having traded in wool and other goods with merchants from the Netherlands and Flanders.

Another early example of the name can be found in the 15th century, when a Robert Trout was documented as a landowner in the village of Chadlington, Oxfordshire.

During the 16th century, the surname Trout gained more prominence, with several members of the family holding positions of importance. One such individual was Sir Thomas Trout, who was born in 1530 and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Marlborough during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the name Trout was associated with a place called Trout's Hill in the county of Dorset. This location likely derived its name from a family of Trouts who resided there or owned land in the area.

One of the most notable figures with the surname Trout was Benjamin Trout, a renowned English painter born in 1699. He is best known for his portraits and landscapes, which were highly sought after by the aristocracy of his time.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Trout surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with families residing in counties such as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset.

In the 20th century, the name gained international recognition with the success of the American author, Oprah Winfrey's book club selection, and subsequent film adaptation of the novel "A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean, which featured the character Norman Maclean and his love of fly fishing for trout.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Trout

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

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

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