2000
#6,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Addington
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement associated with a man named Eadda" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,216 Americans carry the last name Addington. That puts it at #7,087 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Addington 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 Addington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,712
Census rank
#7,087
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,549 bearers of the surname Addington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7087th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Addington, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Addington
The surname Addington originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place names Addington in Buckinghamshire, Kent, and Surrey. The name is believed to have been derived from the Old English words "ædding" and "tun," which together mean "the farm or town of Adda's people."
Addington is an ancient name that can be found in various historical records. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Edintone," referring to the Addington manor in Surrey.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard de Adynton, who was a prominent landowner in Kent. Another early bearer of the name was William de Adynton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1200.
One notable figure with the surname Addington was Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1757-1844), a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, and was instrumental in the formation of the United Kingdom after the Acts of Union in 1800.
Another prominent individual was Stephen Addington (1729-1796), an English engraver and printer who is known for his work on the Antiquities of Britain series. He was born in Calverley, Yorkshire, and his engravings are highly regarded for their attention to detail and accuracy.
In the 19th century, John Addington Symonds (1840-1893) was a prominent English poet, literary critic, and chronicler of the Renaissance. He was born in Bristol and is best known for his influential work on Renaissance art and literature.
William Addington Courtney (1842-1917) was an English bibliographer and literary critic who made significant contributions to the field of English literature. He was born in Penzance, Cornwall, and served as the editor of the Quarterly Review from 1892 to 1894.
Lastly, John Addington (1714-1766) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on religious subjects. He was born in Southwark, Surrey, and served as the rector of St. Andrew's Church in Cambridge.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Addington, which has its roots in the ancient place names of England and has been recorded in historical documents dating back to the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Addington
Among Census respondents with the surname Addington, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Addington 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 Addington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 4,039
- Two or more races4.3% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 180
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 62
- Black or African American1.1% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Addington
Addington 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
#6,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,968
+35 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 435 places
2020
#7,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,549
-419 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,355 | 4,933 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,790 | 4,968 | 1.68 | +35 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 435 places |
| 2020 | #7,087 | 4,549 | 1.52 | -419 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 297 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 Addington 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 | #6,790 | #7,087 | -4.4% |
| Count | 4,968 | 4,549 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.52 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Addington bearers went from 4,968 to 4,549 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 297 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,790 to #7,087.
FAQ
Addington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Addington?
Name Census estimates that about 5,216 living Americans carry the surname Addington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,712 residents.
How common is Addington?
Addington ranks #7,087 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,549 people with the surname Addington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,216), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Addington.
Has Addington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Addington went from 4,968 recorded bearers to 4,549. That is a decrease of 419 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,790 to #7,087.
What does the Census say about the background of Addington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Addington, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (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 Addington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (4,039 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Addington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (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 Addington (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 Addington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement associated with a man named Eadda" in Old English. 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 Addington (1.52 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 Addington?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.