2000
#464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,772
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.01
Uncommon Last name
Patton
From an English place name meaning "Pata's town," derived from the Old English personal name Pata and tun, meaning "settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 72,162 Americans carry the last name Patton. That puts it at #524 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,750 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patton 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 Patton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
72K
1 in 4,750
Census rank
#524
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
63K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 62,929 bearers of the surname Patton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 524th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patton
The surname PATTON is an English habitational name derived from various places named Patton in England, such as those found in Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words 'pætt' meaning path and 'tun' meaning enclosure or settlement, essentially translating to 'settlement by the path'.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Patone' and 'Patona'. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
The PATTON surname has been traced back to various regions in England, with some of the earliest recorded examples coming from Yorkshire. In the 13th century, records show individuals named Adam de Patton and Willelmus de Patton residing in Yorkshire.
Another notable early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert de Patton from Shropshire. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname PATTON have achieved notable recognition. One of the most famous was George Smith PATTON (1885-1945), the American general who played a pivotal role in World War II and is best known for his leadership of the Seventh United States Army in the successful 1944 invasion of Normandy.
Other notable individuals include James PATTON (1692-1755), an Irish-American pioneer and settler in Pennsylvania, and John PATTON (1749-1804), an American Revolutionary War soldier and politician who served as the second Governor of Virginia.
In the literary world, the name is associated with Emily Lewis PATTON (1873-1960), an American writer and editor known for her works on literature and history. Additionally, Charles PATTON (1764-1837) was a British naval officer and explorer who conducted several expeditions in the Pacific Ocean.
While the PATTON surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patton
Among Census respondents with the surname Patton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Patton 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 Patton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.3% · 44,261
- Black or African American20.4% · 12,854
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,848
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,065
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 526
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 375
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patton
Patton 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
#506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,293
+1,521 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 22.47
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,929
-3,364 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 21.05
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #464 | 64,772 | 24.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #506 | 66,293 | 22.47 | +1,521 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #524 | 62,929 | 21.05 | -3,364 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 18 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 Patton 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 | #506 | #524 | -3.6% |
| Count | 66,293 | 62,929 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 22.47 | 21.05 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patton bearers went from 66,293 to 62,929 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #506 to #524.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Patton
FAQ
Patton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patton?
Name Census estimates that about 72,162 living Americans carry the surname Patton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,750 residents.
How common is Patton?
Patton ranks #524 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 62,929 people with the surname Patton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (72,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Patton.
Has Patton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patton went from 66,293 recorded bearers to 62,929. That is a decrease of 3,364 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #506 to #524.
What does the Census say about the background of Patton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Patton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (44,261 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.3%), Black (20.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Patton (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 Patton mean?
From an English place name meaning "Pata's town," derived from the Old English personal name Pata and tun, meaning "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 Patton (21.05 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 Patton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.