2000
#14,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,964
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Witty
An English surname derived from the Old English word "wittig," meaning wise, clever, or possessing good judgment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,125 Americans carry the last name Witty. That puts it at #15,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Witty 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 Witty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,296
Census rank
#15,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,853 bearers of the surname Witty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Witty, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Witty
The surname Witty originated in England, likely in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wittig," meaning wise or learned. This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was considered intelligent or quick-witted.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Witty can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert le Wytty in Oxfordshire. The use of the prefix "le" suggests that the name was originally a descriptive nickname, rather than a hereditary surname.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a William Wytty was mentioned in 1317. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also recorded a John Wytty.
The name Witty was sometimes associated with place names, such as Wittenham, a village in Oxfordshire. This could have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Witty throughout history include:
1. John Witty (c. 1550-1620), an English clergyman and author who wrote a book titled "A Treatise on the Church."
2. Robert Witty (c. 1670-1738), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets.
3. William Witty (1736-1799), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.
4. Mary Witty (1771-1848), an English botanist and illustrator known for her detailed drawings of plants and flowers.
5. Sir John Witty (1825-1901), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1892 to 1900.
While the surname Witty may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it eventually became a hereditary surname passed down through generations. Its history reflects the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have carried this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Witty
Among Census respondents with the surname Witty, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Witty 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 Witty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 1,455
- Black or African American9.4% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 122
- Two or more races3.9% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Witty
Witty 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
#14,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
+48 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 692 places
2020
#15,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
-159 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 487 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,069 | 1,964 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,761 | 2,012 | 0.68 | +48 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 692 places |
| 2020 | #15,248 | 1,853 | 0.62 | -159 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 487 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 Witty 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 | #14,761 | #15,248 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,012 | 1,853 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Witty bearers went from 2,012 to 1,853 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 487 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,761 to #15,248.
FAQ
Witty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Witty?
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the surname Witty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,296 residents.
How common is Witty?
Witty ranks #15,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,853 people with the surname Witty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Witty.
Has Witty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Witty went from 2,012 recorded bearers to 1,853. That is a decrease of 159 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,761 to #15,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Witty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Witty, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Witty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (1,455 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Witty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (9.4%), Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Witty (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 Witty mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "wittig," meaning wise, clever, or possessing good judgment. 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 Witty (0.62 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 Witty?
Want to know how many people have the last name Witty? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.