Explore the Family Name Lett
The meaning of Lett
1. English: from a short form of the medieval female personal name Lettice (see Leece 1). 2. German: from Middle High German lette ‘clay, clayey soil’, hence a topographic name for someone who farmed on fertile clay soil. 3. Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 力 (meaning ‘power, strength’), a monosyllabic personal name, or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lett in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Lett has seen slight fluctuations in its popularity over the past decade. In 2000, it ranked as the 5351st most common name, with a population of 5994, or 2.22 per 100k individuals. By 2010, the count had increased to 6385, and despite this increase, the rank slipped slightly to 5451st, representing a negative change of -1.87%. The proportion per 100k also saw a marginal decrease of -2.7% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,351 | #5,451 | -1.87% |
| Count | 5,994 | 6,385 | 6.52% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.22 | 2.16 | -2.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lett
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides an interesting view into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Lett. The data shows that the majority of people with this surname identify as either White or Black, with these groups making up 51.35% and 43.05% respectively in 2010. Both these proportions have seen minor changes from the 2000 data, with White experiencing a -2.54% decrease and Black a negligible drop of -0.19%. The ethnicity categories that saw the most growth were Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or More Races, and Hispanic, which saw increases of 32.50%, 39.58%, and 37.93% respectively. American Indian and Alaskan Native representation fell by -9.52%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 52.69% | 51.35% | -2.54% |
| Black | 43.13% | 43.05% | -0.19% |
| Two or More Races | 1.92% | 2.68% | 39.58% |
| Hispanic | 1.45% | 2% | 37.93% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.53% | 32.5% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.42% | 0.38% | -9.52% |
Lett ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Lett is British & Irish, which comprises 51.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.5%) and Nigerian (6.1%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Angolan & Congolese, Scandinavian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.6% |
| French & German | 23.5% |
| Nigerian | 6.1% |
| Other | 18.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Lett
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Lett have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
What Lett haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Lett is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lett surname are: H1, H, L3. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Lett have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Lett" Surname 52.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Lett" Surname 21.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Lett" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Lett" Surname 14.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Lett?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Lett are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition