2000
#7,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Alton
Derived from a place name meaning "town at the source of a river" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,424 Americans carry the last name Alton. That puts it at #8,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alton 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 Alton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,476
Census rank
#8,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,858 bearers of the surname Alton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alton
The surname Alton originates from England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "ea" meaning stream or river, and "tun" meaning town or settlement. This suggests that the name was initially used to describe someone who lived near a stream or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alton can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a Richard de Alton residing in Staffordshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 also mentions several places with similar names, such as Alton in Hampshire and Alton in Staffordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Alton was often associated with various place names in England, such as Alton in Hampshire, Alton in Staffordshire, and Alton in Oxfordshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Alton include Sir Thomas Alton (1450-1521), a renowned English lawyer and judge during the reign of King Henry VIII. Another prominent figure was Sir William Alton (1560-1634), a member of Parliament and landowner in Oxfordshire.
In the 17th century, John Alton (1612-1679) was a prominent English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Essex. His works included several religious treatises and sermons.
The 18th century saw the rise of Edward Alton (1723-1789), a British naval officer and explorer who made significant contributions to the mapping of the Pacific Ocean and the exploration of the Australian coastline.
In the 19th century, Samuel Alton (1811-1885) was a prominent British industrialist and entrepreneur who established several successful manufacturing companies in the Midlands region of England.
These examples highlight the long and rich history of the surname Alton, which has been associated with various notable figures throughout the centuries, particularly in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alton
Among Census respondents with the surname Alton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Alton 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 Alton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 3,229
- Black or African American5.8% · 222
- Two or more races4.6% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alton
Alton 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
#7,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,565
+361 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 2 places
2020
#8,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,858
-707 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,307 | 4,204 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,305 | 4,565 | 1.55 | +361 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 2 places |
| 2020 | #8,220 | 3,858 | 1.29 | -707 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 915 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 Alton 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 | #7,305 | #8,220 | -12.5% |
| Count | 4,565 | 3,858 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.29 | -16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alton bearers went from 4,565 to 3,858 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 915 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,305 to #8,220.
FAQ
Alton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,424 living Americans carry the surname Alton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,476 residents.
How common is Alton?
Alton ranks #8,220 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,858 people with the surname Alton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Alton.
Has Alton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alton went from 4,565 recorded bearers to 3,858. That is a decrease of 707 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,305 to #8,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Alton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) 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 Alton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (3,229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (5.8%), 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 Alton (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 Alton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "town at the source of a river" 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 Alton (1.29 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 have the surname Alton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.