2000
#909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,812
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.90
Uncommon Last name
Stanton
A habitational surname derived from any of the numerous places in England named Stanton, meaning "stone town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,455 Americans carry the last name Stanton. That puts it at #997 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,687 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stanton 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 Stanton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,687
Census rank
#997
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,407 bearers of the surname Stanton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 997th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stanton
The surname Stanton has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "tun" meaning town or settlement, suggesting that it was originally a place name referring to a settlement near a prominent stone or rocky area.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Stanton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a place name in several English counties, including Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Oxfordshire. This suggests that the surname likely originated as a locational name, referring to someone who lived in or near one of the places called Stanton.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named William de Stanton was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, indicating the use of Stanton as a surname during this period. Another early record is from 1273, when a Henry de Stanton was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire.
Throughout history, the Stanton surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Staunton, Stantoun, and Stantone, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations in record-keeping. These variations were common in the Middle Ages before standardized spelling became more widespread.
Notable individuals who bore the Stanton surname include Sir Thomas Stanton (1548-1618), an English diplomat and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was Michael Stanhope (1508-1552), an English Protestant reformer and religious writer who was burned at the stake for heresy during the reign of Queen Mary I.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Stanton surname was Thomas Stanton (1616-1677), an English-born settler who became an interpreter and colonial leader in Connecticut. He played a significant role in negotiating with Native American tribes and helped establish the town of Stonington, Connecticut.
Other notable individuals with the Stanton surname include Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902), a prominent American social activist and leading figure in the early women's rights movement, and Edwin M. Stanton (1814-1869), an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of War during the American Civil War under President Abraham Lincoln.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stanton
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stanton 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 Stanton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 27,515
- Black or African American11.4% · 3,907
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,361
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,153
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 274
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 197
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stanton
Stanton 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
#968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,997
+1,185 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 12.20
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,407
-1,590 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 11.51
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #909 | 34,812 | 12.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #968 | 35,997 | 12.20 | +1,185 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #997 | 34,407 | 11.51 | -1,590 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 29 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 Stanton 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 | #968 | #997 | -3.0% |
| Count | 35,997 | 34,407 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 12.20 | 11.51 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stanton bearers went from 35,997 to 34,407 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #968 to #997.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stanton
FAQ
Stanton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stanton?
Name Census estimates that about 39,455 living Americans carry the surname Stanton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,687 residents.
How common is Stanton?
Stanton ranks #997 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,407 people with the surname Stanton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Stanton.
Has Stanton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stanton went from 35,997 recorded bearers to 34,407. That is a decrease of 1,590 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #968 to #997.
What does the Census say about the background of Stanton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stanton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (27,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stanton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (11.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stanton (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 Stanton mean?
A habitational surname derived from any of the numerous places in England named Stanton, meaning "stone 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 Stanton (11.51 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 Stanton?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Stanton? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.