Explore the Family Name Oviatt
The meaning of Oviatt
English (Surrey): variant of Ovett, a name mainly found in Sussex, probably from the Middle English personal name Uviet, spelled Ouyet. This could represent Old English Ūf(e)gēat or Ufegēat; the personal name Ufegeat is recorded in Old English documents but the length of the initial vowel is uncertain. With a long first vowel the name might be a compound of Old English ūf ‘owl’ + a linking vowel -e- + the tribal name Gēat. With a short initial vowel the first element could be ufe-, as in Old English ufemest ‘uppermost, highest’. An alternative possibility is that Uviet represents either of two other Old English names, Wulfgēat (male) or Wulfgȳth (female), with Wulf- shortened to Uf-. Final -et was presumably re-interpreted as the Old French, Middle English hypocoristic suffix -et, for which -ot was commonly substituted. The surname Ovett had a long history in Brighton (Sussex) and in the New Forest (Hampshire), but it also had a presence in the Midlands from at least the 16th century. The variant Oviatt, which is found mainly in Surrey, probably originates from the family in Hampshire or the South Midlands.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Oviatt in the United States?
The Oviatt surname, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, showed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 19,328 in popularity, but dropped to 20,512 by 2010, marking a decrease of 6.13%. In terms of count, the number of people bearing the Oviatt surname marginally declined from 1,297 in 2000 to 1,293 in 2010, indicating a diminution of 0.31%. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased during this time frame, going from 0.48 to 0.44, which is a drop of 8.33%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,328 | #20,512 | -6.13% |
| Count | 1,297 | 1,293 | -0.31% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.48 | 0.44 | -8.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Oviatt
Regarding ethnicity, again as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, the majority of individuals with the Oviatt surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, although there was a minor decrease from 95.45% to 94.66% over the decade. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic saw a notable increase from 2.16% in 2000 to 3.63% in 2010, growing by 68.06%. The segment identifying with two or more races went down from 1.54% to 0.93%, falling by 39.61%. There were no reported changes in the Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories over these years. It's important to note that some data might have been suppressed for privacy reasons.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.45% | 94.66% | -0.83% |
| Hispanic | 2.16% | 3.63% | 68.06% |
| Two or More Races | 1.54% | 0.93% | -39.61% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.39% | 0% | 0% |