2000
#414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.32
Uncommon Last name
Walton
From an English place name meaning "settlement of the Britons," referring to the Celtic inhabitants of England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 81,832 Americans carry the last name Walton. That puts it at #451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walton 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 Walton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
82K
1 in 4,189
Census rank
#451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
71K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 71,361 bearers of the surname Walton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walton, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walton
The surname Walton has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "walh" and "tun," which together mean "the farm or settlement of the foreigners or strangers." This suggests that the name may have been given to people who lived in areas inhabited by immigrants or those of foreign descent.
The name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This record shows that there were people bearing the surname Walton residing in various counties, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Walton was Radulfus de Waltona, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1190. These rolls were financial records kept by the English government, indicating that Radulfus de Waltona was likely a landowner or taxpayer at the time.
The surname Walton is also associated with several place names in England, such as Walton-on-the-Hill in Surrey, Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, and Walton-on-Thames in Surrey. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Walton include:
1. Izaak Walton (1593-1683), an English writer best known for his book "The Compleat Angler," a classic work on the art of fishing.
2. William Walton (1902-1983), an English composer known for works such as the First Symphony and the opera "Troilus and Cressida."
3. Sam Walton (1918-1992), the founder of Walmart, one of the largest retail chains in the world.
4. Ernest Walton (1903-1995), an Irish physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1951 for his work on the splitting of atoms.
5. William Walton (1784-1857), an English theologian and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.
Throughout its history, the surname Walton has been associated with various occupations, including farming, fishing, and more recently, business and academia. Its longevity and widespread use across England and beyond make it a fascinating example of how surnames can reflect the cultural and linguistic influences of a particular region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walton
Among Census respondents with the surname Walton, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Walton 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 Walton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 41,129
- Black or African American33.5% · 23,879
- Two or more races4.6% · 3,309
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 2,223
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 411
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 410
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walton
Walton 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
#446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 73,854
+2,857 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 25.04
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,361
-2,493 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 23.87
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #414 | 70,997 | 26.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #446 | 73,854 | 25.04 | +2,857 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #451 | 71,361 | 23.87 | -2,493 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5 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 Walton 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 | #446 | #451 | -1.1% |
| Count | 73,854 | 71,361 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 25.04 | 23.87 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walton bearers went from 73,854 to 71,361 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #446 to #451.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Walton
FAQ
Walton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walton?
Name Census estimates that about 81,832 living Americans carry the surname Walton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,189 residents.
How common is Walton?
Walton ranks #451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 71,361 people with the surname Walton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (81,832), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Walton.
Has Walton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walton went from 73,854 recorded bearers to 71,361. That is a decrease of 2,493 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #446 to #451.
What does the Census say about the background of Walton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walton, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Walton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (41,129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.6%), Black (33.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Walton (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 Walton mean?
From an English place name meaning "settlement of the Britons," referring to the Celtic inhabitants of England. 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 Walton (23.87 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 Walton?
Want to know how many people have the surname Walton? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.