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

Wyatt, 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 Wyatt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wyatt in America

Wyatt is the 653rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wyatt surname appeared 52,211 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 18 people would have the surname Wyatt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wyatt 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 Wyatt

The surname Wyatt is of English origin, derived from the Old English given name Wigheard, which was composed of the elements "wig" meaning war, and "heard" meaning hardy or brave. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th century, initially borne by those who held lands in Wyatville, Derbyshire.

Records from the Domesday Book of 1086 mention a landowner named Wigheard in Derbyshire, suggesting the name's antiquity in that region. Early spellings of the surname included Wihat, Wyhot, and Wyot, reflecting its evolution over time.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Wyatt dates back to 1166, when a certain Roger Wyatt was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire. Another early reference comes from the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1201, which recorded a Richard Wyatt.

In the 14th century, the surname gained prominence through Sir Thomas Wyatt, a renowned English poet and ambassador who lived from 1503 to 1542. He is best known for his contribution to the introduction of the sonnet form into English literature.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger, the son of the aforementioned poet, who was involved in a rebellion against Queen Mary I in 1554 and was subsequently executed.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Wyatt family held significant influence in Surrey, with their ancestral seat located at Allington Castle. George Wyatt, born in 1553, was a historian and author who wrote extensively on the life of Queen Anne Boleyn.

The surname also gained recognition through Sir Henry Wyatt, a British naval officer who lived from 1794 to 1853. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Navarino during the Greek War of Independence and was later appointed Governor of Grenada.

In the realm of literature, the name is associated with James Wyatt (1746-1813), a prominent English architect and garden designer who was responsible for the construction of numerous country houses and the renovation of historic buildings, including Fonthill Abbey and Ashridge Park.

The surname Wyatt continues to be widely distributed across England, particularly in the counties of Surrey, Kent, and Derbyshire, reflecting its historical roots and the migration patterns of those who bore the name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wyatt

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

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

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