2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Patnett
Occupational surname referring to a hereditary position of village headman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Patnett. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patnett 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Patnett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patnett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.9%) and White (10.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patnett
The surname Patnett has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "pathen," which means "path" or "pathway." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a well-trodden path or road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Patnett can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Pathenett," indicating its connection to the Old English word for "path."
During the 13th century, variations of the name began to emerge, such as "Pathnett" and "Pathenet." These spellings were likely influenced by regional dialects and the phonetic interpretation of the name by scribes and record-keepers.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Patnett (c. 1320 - 1390) was recorded as a landowner in the county of Worcestershire. His name was spelled "Pattenett" in some historical documents, reflecting the evolving orthography of the time.
The 16th century saw the emergence of William Patnett (1525 - 1598), a prominent merchant and member of the Guild of Mercers in London. His name was often spelled "Pattnett" in contemporary records, showcasing the continued variation in spelling.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Patnett was Sir Thomas Patnett (1710 - 1782), a distinguished military officer who served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War. His name was consistently spelled "Patnett" in official records and correspondence.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Patnett (1785 - 1867), a celebrated author and poet from the English county of Derbyshire. Her works often explored themes of nature and the rural countryside, reflecting her connection to the surname's origins.
Throughout its history, the surname Patnett has been associated with various place names, such as Patnett Hill and Patnett Farm, both located in the county of Shropshire. These place names further reinforce the surname's connection to pathways and travel routes in the English countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patnett
Among Census respondents with the surname Patnett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.9%) and White (10.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Patnett 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 Patnett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.1% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino15.9% · 18
- White10.6% · 12
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patnett
Patnett 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,401 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 2,401 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,001 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 Patnett 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 | #145,220 | #147,221 | -1.4% |
| Count | 114 | 113 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patnett bearers went from 114 to 113 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,221.
FAQ
Patnett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patnett?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Patnett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Patnett?
Patnett ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Patnett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Patnett.
Has Patnett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patnett went from 114 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Patnett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patnett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.9%) and White (10.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Patnett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patnett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.1%), Hispanic (15.9%), White (10.6%). 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 Patnett (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 Patnett mean?
Occupational surname referring to a hereditary position of village headman. 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 Patnett (0.04 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 have the surname Patnett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.