Sackett
A surname most likely from a nickname or personal-name source, with a traditional English explanation linking it to a diminutive of “Sack” or a short-form of Zachary.
The #5,994 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,835 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical explanations for Sackett are not fully consistent. One 19th-century source treats it as French in form, from French sacquet, a diminutive of sack, while another suggests an older English nickname base, related to an Anglo-Saxon word for “war” or “opponent,” with Sackett as a diminutive. A further popular-etymology strand in the same period connects it to Zachary, but this is less clearly established from the evidence given here.
History
The name is documented in English-language surname discussions in the 19th century and later became established in the United States. It is now most familiar in American records, where it survives as an uncommon but well-attested surname. Because the early explanations conflict, modern reference works usually treat it cautiously rather than assigning a single certain source.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century writer explicitly noted Sackett as the name of a well-known New York politician.
From the historical record
“2 for Zachary's Son : v. Zachary. SACKETT, the French Sacquet = Sac{q (v. Sack') -I- the dim. suff. -et. SACKVILLE (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Bel. to i Secqueville" (Calvados, Norm.) = the Dry Vill, i.e. (app.) the Dry-built [Nor. Fr. secque, f. (Fr. sec, sdche), Lat. sice-, dry -f Fr. ville, Lat. DiWa] This name was Latinized…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)