2000
#13,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Utt
Derived from the Middle English word "utte," meaning an outer or external place, likely referring to a remote dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,304 Americans carry the last name Utt. That puts it at #14,325 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Utt 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
2.3K
1 in 148,765
Census rank
#14,325
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,009 bearers of the surname Utt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14325th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Utt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Utt
The surname Utt has its origins in England and is thought to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "uft," which means "up" or "above." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in an elevated area or at the top of a hill or cliff.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Utt can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a William Utte is mentioned. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as court records, tax rolls, and parish registers.
The Utt surname is thought to have originated in the counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire, where it was particularly prevalent in the early days. However, over time, the name spread to other parts of England, as well as to other countries, such as the United States and Canada, due to migration.
One notable bearer of the Utt surname was Sir John Utt, who lived in the 16th century and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1567. Another individual of note was Thomas Utt, a 17th-century English clergyman who served as the Vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon from 1658 to 1670.
In the 18th century, a man named William Utt gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker in Gloucestershire, and his clocks from that era are now highly sought after by collectors. Additionally, in the 19th century, a prominent figure named John Utt was a successful businessman and philanthropist in the city of Birmingham.
Another individual worth mentioning is Mary Utt, who lived in the early 20th century and was a pioneering female engineer. She worked for the British Aluminium Company and played a crucial role in the development of new alloys and manufacturing processes.
Throughout its history, the Utt surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Utte, Utt, Utts, and Uttes. These variations can often be traced back to different regions or dialects within England, as well as to the personal preferences or inconsistencies of record keepers and scribes over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Utt
Among Census respondents with the surname Utt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Utt 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 Utt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,848
- Two or more races4.9% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Utt
Utt 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
#14,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,137
+21 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 847 places
2020
#14,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,009
-128 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,229 | 2,116 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,076 | 2,137 | 0.72 | +21 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 847 places |
| 2020 | #14,325 | 2,009 | 0.67 | -128 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 249 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 Utt 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 | #14,076 | #14,325 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,137 | 2,009 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.67 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Utt bearers went from 2,137 to 2,009 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,076 to #14,325.
FAQ
Utt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Utt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,304 living Americans carry the surname Utt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,765 residents.
How common is Utt?
Utt ranks #14,325 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,009 people with the surname Utt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Utt.
Has Utt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Utt went from 2,137 recorded bearers to 2,009. That is a decrease of 128 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,076 to #14,325.
What does the Census say about the background of Utt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Utt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Utt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,848 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Utt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Utt (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 Utt mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "utte," meaning an outer or external place, likely referring to a remote dwelling. 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 Utt (0.67 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 common is the surname Utt?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Utt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.