2000
#44,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 456
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Compston
An English localised surname likely derived from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 579 Americans carry the last name Compston. That puts it at #45,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 591,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Compston 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 Compston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
579
1 in 591,976
Census rank
#45,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
505
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 505 bearers of the surname Compston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Compston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Compston
The surname Compston is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is thought to have derived from a place name, possibly a town or village called Compston or a variation thereof. Records indicate that the name first appeared in the 13th century.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, which mentions a Richard de Compeston. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place called Compeston or a similar spelling.
In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Compton, Compston, and Comstun. These variations likely resulted from differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
The Compston surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir William Compston (1562-1634), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King James I.
Another notable figure was John Compston (1633-1701), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Treatise on Repentance" and "The Christian's Duty in Afflictions."
In the 18th century, Thomas Compston (1740-1810) was a renowned English clockmaker and inventor. He is credited with developing a novel type of clock movement known as the "grass-hopper escapement."
During the 19th century, William Compston (1820-1892) was a noted English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Another individual with the Compston surname was Mary Compston (1865-1948), an English suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and voting reform in the early 20th century.
While the Compston surname may have originated from a specific place name, it has since spread across various regions of England and beyond, with many individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Compston
Among Census respondents with the surname Compston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Compston 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 Compston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 467
- Two or more races5.5% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Compston
Compston 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
#45,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 471
+15 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 982 places
2020
#45,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 505
+34 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,430 | 456 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,412 | 471 | 0.16 | +15 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 982 places |
| 2020 | #45,616 | 505 | 0.17 | +34 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 204 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 Compston 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 | #45,412 | #45,616 | -0.4% |
| Count | 471 | 505 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.17 | 5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Compston bearers went from 471 to 505 (+7.2% change). The surname moved down 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,412 to #45,616.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Compston
FAQ
Compston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Compston?
Name Census estimates that about 579 living Americans carry the surname Compston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 591,976 residents.
How common is Compston?
Compston ranks #45,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 505 people with the surname Compston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Compston.
Has Compston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Compston went from 471 recorded bearers to 505. That is an increase of 34 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,412 to #45,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Compston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Compston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Compston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (467 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Compston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Compston (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 Compston mean?
An English localised surname likely derived from a place name in England. 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 Compston (0.17 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 Compston?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Compston at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.