Find out how popular the last name Acton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Acton.

Acton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Acton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Acton in America

Acton is the 6874th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Acton surname appeared 4,892 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Acton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Acton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Acton

The surname Acton derives from several Old English place names, such as Acton in Middlesex, Acton in Suffolk, and Acton in Cheshire. These place names are believed to have originated from the Old English words "ac" meaning oak and "tun" meaning a farm or settlement.

The name Acton can be traced back to the 11th century and is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several individuals with this surname. One of the earliest recorded Actons was Walter de Acton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1195.

During the medieval period, the Acton family held lands and estates in various parts of England, including Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire. Notable members of the Acton family from this era include Sir Roger Acton, who fought in the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, and Sir Walter Acton, who was a Member of Parliament for Shropshire in 1472.

In the 16th century, the Acton family gained prominence through their involvement in the English Reformation. Sir Richard Acton (c.1525-1587) was a staunch Catholic and a member of the Privy Council under Queen Mary I. His son, Sir Walter Acton (c.1550-1610), converted to Protestantism and served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was John Acton (1736-1811), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament. He is often referred to as Sir John Acton, although he was not officially knighted.

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834-1902), was a prominent English Catholic historian, philosopher, and politician. He is best known for his influential study of the philosophy of history and his famous quote: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Harry Acton (1766-1835) was an English cricketer who played for the famous Hambledon Club and is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of the 18th century.

The name Acton has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Acton in Cheshire, Acton in Suffolk, and Acton in Middlesex, which later became part of London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Acton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Acton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Acton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Acton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Acton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Acton, please contact us.

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