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

Violet, 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 Violet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Violet in America

Violet is the 29768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Violet surname appeared 790 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Violet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Violet 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 Violet

The surname Violet is an English surname derived from the color violet, which itself comes from the Old French violette, from the Latin viola. The color name likely originated as a nickname for someone who frequently wore violet-colored clothing or had an affinity for the violet flower.

The earliest known record of the surname Violet dates back to the 13th century in England. In 1273, a Ralph Violet was mentioned in records from the county of Nottinghamshire. Around the same time, a William Violette was recorded in Somerset in 1279.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings such as Violett, Vyolet, and Vyolette. A notable early bearer was John Vyolet, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

The Violet surname is also found in old French records, likely due to the shared linguistic roots. For instance, a Jehan Violet was mentioned in the Livre des Bourgeois de Valenciennes in 1369.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Violet surname. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Violet (c. 1505-1587), an English Member of Parliament and landowner from Northamptonshire.

In the 17th century, there was Jacques Violet (1619-1684), a French painter and engraver known for his portraits and religious works.

Later, in the 18th century, the surname was held by François Violet (1718-1793), a French actor and playwright who performed at the Comédie-Française in Paris.

In the 19th century, Louis Violet (1833-1891) was a French historian and archivist who specialized in the study of ancient French manuscripts and documents.

Another notable bearer was Fernand Violet (1886-1965), a French architect best known for his work on the renovation of the Louvre Museum in Paris.

While the surname Violet has its roots in England and France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with bearers in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Violet

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Violet, please contact us.

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