2000
#33,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Corbet
An English surname derived from the Norman French "corbet", meaning a raven or small crow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 702 Americans carry the last name Corbet. That puts it at #38,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 488,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corbet 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 Corbet with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
702
1 in 488,254
Census rank
#38,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
612
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 612 bearers of the surname Corbet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbet, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corbet
The surname Corbet originates from the northern regions of France and is believed to have derived from the Old French word 'corbeau', meaning 'raven'. It is thought that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone with dark hair or complexion resembling a raven.
The earliest recorded instances of the Corbet surname can be traced back to the 11th century in Normandy, France. It is believed that the name was introduced to England during the Norman Conquest in 1066, as many Norman families accompanied William the Conqueror and settled in various parts of the country.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Corbet or variations such as Corbett, Corbyn, and Corbin. These entries indicate that the name was well-established in England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest and most prominent figures bearing the Corbet name was Roger Corbet, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror to England. Roger Corbet was granted lands in Shropshire and became the founder of the influential Corbet family, which played a significant role in the history of the Welsh Marches.
Another notable individual with the surname Corbet was Sir Robert Corbet (1548-1583), a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Shropshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Sir Robert Corbet was known for his involvement in the suppression of Catholic uprisings in the region.
In the 13th century, a branch of the Corbet family settled in Caux, Normandy, where they acquired the estate of Corbet-Essert. This estate's name is thought to be the origin of the alternative spelling 'Corbett', which became more prevalent in some branches of the family.
During the 14th century, the Corbet surname was also found in Scotland, where it is believed to have been introduced by Norman settlers. One notable Scottish Corbet was Sir John Corbet (c. 1330-1389), a military commander who served under King David II of Scotland.
In the 15th century, a member of the Corbet family, Sir Roger Corbet (c. 1420-1493), was appointed as the Comptroller of the Royal Household under King Henry VII of England. This appointment highlights the family's continued influence and status during the Tudor period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corbet
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbet, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Corbet 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 Corbet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 516
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 40
- Black or African American6.0% · 37
- Two or more races1.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corbet
Corbet 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
#35,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 631
-2 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 1,689 places
2020
#38,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 612
-19 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 3,261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,933 | 633 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,622 | 631 | 0.21 | -2 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 1,689 places |
| 2020 | #38,883 | 612 | 0.20 | -19 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 3,261 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 Corbet 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 | #35,622 | #38,883 | -9.2% |
| Count | 631 | 612 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.20 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corbet bearers went from 631 to 612 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 3,261 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,622 to #38,883.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Corbet
FAQ
Corbet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corbet?
Name Census estimates that about 702 living Americans carry the surname Corbet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 488,254 residents.
How common is Corbet?
Corbet ranks #38,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 612 people with the surname Corbet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (702), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Corbet.
Has Corbet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corbet went from 631 recorded bearers to 612. That is a decrease of 19 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,622 to #38,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Corbet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbet, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (6.0%). 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 Corbet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corbet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Hispanic (6.5%), Black (6.0%). 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 Corbet (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 Corbet mean?
An English surname derived from the Norman French "corbet", meaning a raven or small crow. 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 Corbet (0.20 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 are called Corbet?
Want to know how many people have the last name Corbet? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.