2000
#7,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,041
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Gullett
A diminutive of the Middle English word "gullet," meaning a stream or water channel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,465 Americans carry the last name Gullett. That puts it at #8,135 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gullett 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 Gullett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,765
Census rank
#8,135
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,894 bearers of the surname Gullett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8135th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gullett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gullett
The surname Gullett is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "gul" or "gul-et," which means "a small stream or brook." It is believed that the name originated in the 12th or 13th century and was initially used as a descriptive term to identify people who lived near a small stream or brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the Middle Ages. One of the earliest known references is in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John Gulet from Buckinghamshire. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1301, where a William Gulet is listed.
During the 14th century, the surname Gullett started to spread across different regions of England, with variations in spelling such as Gullet, Gullitt, and Gullette. This was likely due to the influence of Norman scribes and their interpretation of the name's pronunciation.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Gullett, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was born around 1380 in Gloucestershire and is mentioned in historical records for his bravery on the battlefield.
Another notable figure with the surname Gullett was William Gullett, a merchant and landowner from Somerset who lived in the late 16th century. He is recorded as having owned several properties in the area and was involved in local trade and commerce.
In the 17th century, the surname Gullett appeared in various parish records and census documents across England. One example is John Gullett, born in 1624 in Wiltshire, who was a farmer and landholder.
During the 18th century, the name Gullett continued to be found in various regions of England, with some bearers migrating to other parts of the British Empire, including North America and the Caribbean.
One notable figure from this period was Captain Thomas Gullett, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1745 in Hampshire and commanded several ships during his career, including the HMS Roebuck.
In the 19th century, the surname Gullett remained prevalent in England, with some bearers also found in other parts of the world, such as Australia and New Zealand, due to the expansion of the British Empire.
One notable figure from this era was Sir John Gullett, a British politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Devizes in Wiltshire. He was born in 1810 and served in the House of Commons from 1852 to 1874.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gullett
Among Census respondents with the surname Gullett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gullett 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 Gullett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 3,392
- Black or African American5.6% · 220
- Two or more races3.6% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gullett
Gullett 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
#8,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,117
+76 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 449 places
2020
#8,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,894
-223 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,587 | 4,041 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,036 | 4,117 | 1.40 | +76 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 449 places |
| 2020 | #8,135 | 3,894 | 1.30 | -223 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 99 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 Gullett 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 | #8,036 | #8,135 | -1.2% |
| Count | 4,117 | 3,894 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.30 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gullett bearers went from 4,117 to 3,894 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,036 to #8,135.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gullett
FAQ
Gullett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gullett?
Name Census estimates that about 4,465 living Americans carry the surname Gullett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,765 residents.
How common is Gullett?
Gullett ranks #8,135 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,894 people with the surname Gullett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,465), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Gullett.
Has Gullett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gullett went from 4,117 recorded bearers to 3,894. That is a decrease of 223 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,036 to #8,135.
What does the Census say about the background of Gullett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gullett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Gullett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (3,392 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gullett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (5.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Gullett (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 Gullett mean?
A diminutive of the Middle English word "gullet," meaning a stream or water channel. 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 Gullett (1.30 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 Gullett?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Gullett, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.