2000
#12,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Elton
From an English place name meaning "Elli's town," derived from the Old English personal name "Elli" combined with "tun" (settlement).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,522 Americans carry the last name Elton. That puts it at #13,285 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elton 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 Elton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 135,906
Census rank
#13,285
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,199 bearers of the surname Elton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13285th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elton
The surname Elton originates from England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "el" meaning "eel" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "farmstead", indicating that the name likely referred to a settlement or area where eels were caught or bred.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1196, which mentions a person named William de Eltona. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing valuable insights into the names and locations of people during that period.
The Elton surname is also mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey conducted during the reign of King Edward I. These rolls recorded instances of the name in various counties, including Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, suggesting that the name was widespread across the Midlands region of England.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone slight variations in spelling, including Eltone, Eltoun, and Eltown, as evidenced by historical records and documents. Some notable individuals with the Elton surname include:
1. Sir Arthur Elton (1590-1651), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
2. Richard Elton (1679-1742), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works.
3. Sir Abraham Elton (1654-1742), a British diplomat and politician who served as the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
4. Thomas Elton (1788-1835), an English actor and playwright known for his performances in Shakespearean plays.
5. Sir Charles Elton (1839-1900), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Gibraltar from 1895 to 1900.
The name has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Elton in Nottinghamshire, Elton in Cheshire, and Elton in Derbyshire, further reinforcing its locational origins and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elton
Among Census respondents with the surname Elton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Elton 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 Elton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 1,946
- Two or more races3.8% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 74
- Black or African American2.4% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elton
Elton 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
#12,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,453
+240 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 167 places
2020
#13,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,199
-254 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 669 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,783 | 2,213 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,616 | 2,453 | 0.83 | +240 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 167 places |
| 2020 | #13,285 | 2,199 | 0.74 | -254 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 669 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 Elton 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 | #12,616 | #13,285 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,453 | 2,199 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.74 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elton bearers went from 2,453 to 2,199 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 669 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,616 to #13,285.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Elton
FAQ
Elton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,522 living Americans carry the surname Elton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,906 residents.
How common is Elton?
Elton ranks #13,285 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,199 people with the surname Elton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,522), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Elton.
Has Elton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elton went from 2,453 recorded bearers to 2,199. That is a decrease of 254 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,616 to #13,285.
What does the Census say about the background of Elton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Elton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (1,946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Elton (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 Elton mean?
From an English place name meaning "Elli's town," derived from the Old English personal name "Elli" combined with "tun" (settlement). 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 Elton (0.74 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 Elton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.