2000
#509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.79
Uncommon Last name
Morton
An English locational surname derived from places meaning "moor town" or "marsh settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 66,542 Americans carry the last name Morton. That puts it at #570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morton 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 Morton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
67K
1 in 5,151
Census rank
#570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
58K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 58,028 bearers of the surname Morton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morton
The surname Morton has its origins in England, deriving from the Old English words "mor" meaning "marsh" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement". It is believed to have first emerged as a place name referring to a settlement near a marsh or swampy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Morton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several places with variations of the name, such as Mortone and Mortun. These entries suggest that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
In the 12th century, the surname Morton began to appear in historical records, with one of the earliest known bearers being Radulfus de Mortun, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1166. Other early examples include William de Morton, who was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1199, and Ralph de Morton, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1227.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance period, the Morton surname was associated with several prominent individuals. One notable figure was John Morton (c. 1420-1500), who served as Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of King Henry VII. Another was Thomas Morton (c. 1564-1659), an English bishop and writer who played a significant role in the early settlement of New England.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Morton name continued to be well-represented in various fields. Peregrine Phillip Courtenay Morton (1793-1871) was a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies. James Douglas Morton (1819-1891) was a prominent Canadian businessman and politician who helped establish the city of Winnipeg.
Another notable bearer of the Morton surname was Samuel George Morton (1799-1851), an American physician and natural scientist who made significant contributions to the study of craniology and physical anthropology. His work, though influenced by the racial prejudices of his time, helped lay the foundation for the field of anthropology.
Throughout its history, the Morton surname has been associated with various place names and localities, including Morton in Derbyshire, Morton in Lincolnshire, and Morton in Nottinghamshire, among others. The name has also been subject to various spellings and variations, such as Merton, Morten, and Moreton.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morton
Among Census respondents with the surname Morton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Morton 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 Morton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 41,112
- Black or African American19.4% · 11,265
- Two or more races4.7% · 2,736
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,969
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 487
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 459
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morton
Morton 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
#568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,213
+425 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 20.07
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,028
-1,185 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 19.41
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #509 | 58,788 | 21.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #568 | 59,213 | 20.07 | +425 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #570 | 58,028 | 19.41 | -1,185 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 2 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 Morton 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 | #568 | #570 | -0.4% |
| Count | 59,213 | 58,028 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 20.07 | 19.41 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morton bearers went from 59,213 to 58,028 (-2.0% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #568 to #570.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morton
FAQ
Morton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morton?
Name Census estimates that about 66,542 living Americans carry the surname Morton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,151 residents.
How common is Morton?
Morton ranks #570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 58,028 people with the surname Morton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (66,542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Morton.
Has Morton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morton went from 59,213 recorded bearers to 58,028. That is a decrease of 1,185 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #568 to #570.
What does the Census say about the background of Morton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Morton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (41,112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.8%), Black (19.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Morton (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 Morton mean?
An English locational surname derived from places meaning "moor town" or "marsh 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 Morton (19.41 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 Morton?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Morton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.