2000
#3,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,692
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.59
Uncommon Last name
Easton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Easton, meaning "east town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,229 Americans carry the last name Easton. That puts it at #3,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Easton 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 Easton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,524
Census rank
#3,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,792 bearers of the surname Easton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Easton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Easton
The surname Easton is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "east" and "tun," which together mean "east town" or "eastern homestead." This name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived in the easternmost part of a village or settlement.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Easton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Eastun" and "Estun," reflecting the evolution of the English language over time.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Easton was Sir Nicholas Easton, who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as the Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1265. Another early bearer of the name was John Easton, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Great Yarmouth in 1295.
In the 16th century, James Easton (1544-1597) was an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Essex from 1589 until his death. During this period, the surname was also associated with various place names, such as Easton Neston in Northamptonshire and Easton Royal in Wiltshire.
Benjamin Easton (1673-1753) was a prominent figure in colonial America. He served as the Governor of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1723 to 1734. Easton, Pennsylvania, a city founded in 1752, was named in his honor.
Mary Easton (1799-1884), an English botanist and author, made significant contributions to the study of botany and published several books on the subject. Her works included illustrations and descriptions of various plant species.
Other notable individuals with the surname Easton include Robert Easton (1892-1972), an American actor and film director, and David Easton (born 1938), a British author and historian known for his works on Renaissance art and culture.
Throughout history, the surname Easton has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, politicians, clergymen, scholars, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Easton
Among Census respondents with the surname Easton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Easton 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 Easton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 7,750
- Black or African American11.7% · 1,147
- Two or more races4.2% · 408
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 352
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Easton
Easton 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
#3,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,276
+584 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 3.48
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#3,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,792
-484 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.28
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,375 | 9,692 | 3.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,477 | 10,276 | 3.48 | +584 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #3,555 | 9,792 | 3.28 | -484 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 78 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 Easton 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 | #3,477 | #3,555 | -2.2% |
| Count | 10,276 | 9,792 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.48 | 3.28 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Easton bearers went from 10,276 to 9,792 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,477 to #3,555.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Easton
FAQ
Easton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Easton?
Name Census estimates that about 11,229 living Americans carry the surname Easton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,524 residents.
How common is Easton?
Easton ranks #3,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,792 people with the surname Easton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Easton.
Has Easton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Easton went from 10,276 recorded bearers to 9,792. That is a decrease of 484 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,477 to #3,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Easton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Easton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Easton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (7,750 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Easton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Easton (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 Easton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Easton, meaning "east town." 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 Easton (3.28 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 share the surname Easton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.