2000
#10,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Anderton
Derived from a place name meaning "Andrew's town" or "farm belonging to Andrew" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,472 Americans carry the last name Anderton. That puts it at #10,146 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,720 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anderton 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 Anderton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,720
Census rank
#10,146
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,028 bearers of the surname Anderton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10146th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anderton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anderton
The surname Anderton originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "anda" meaning duck and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement, referring to a duck enclosure or a place where ducks were kept.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anderton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Andetuna" in reference to a settlement in Lancashire. This indicates that the name was already established in the region at the time of the Norman Conquest.
The name Anderton is closely associated with the village of Anderton in Lancashire, which likely took its name from the surname. Historical records show that the Anderton family was prominent landowners in the area from the 13th century onwards.
In the late 13th century, a Robert de Anderton is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire, indicating the presence of the family in the region during that time. Another notable individual was Sir Francis Anderton (1548-1620), a Catholic recusant who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs.
John Anderton (1590-1675) was an English Benedictine monk who served as the President of the English Benedictine Congregation from 1635 to 1654. He played a significant role in the preservation of the Catholic faith during the turbulent times of the English Reformation.
The name Anderton also appears in various historical records from other parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Cheshire, suggesting that the surname spread beyond its original Lancashire roots.
In the late 18th century, James Anderton (1748-1827) was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and the Blenheim Estate in Woodstock.
Another notable figure was Sir David Anderton (1923-2008), a British police officer who served as the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police from 1976 to 1991. He was known for his controversial stance on police tactics and his outspoken views on various social issues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anderton
Among Census respondents with the surname Anderton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Anderton 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 Anderton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 2,703
- Two or more races3.6% · 110
- Black or African American3.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anderton
Anderton 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
#9,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,362
+461 bearers (+15.9%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 548 places
2020
#10,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,028
-334 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 494 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,200 | 2,901 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,652 | 3,362 | 1.14 | +461 bearers (+15.9%) | Up 548 places |
| 2020 | #10,146 | 3,028 | 1.01 | -334 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 494 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 Anderton 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 | #9,652 | #10,146 | -5.1% |
| Count | 3,362 | 3,028 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.01 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anderton bearers went from 3,362 to 3,028 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 494 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,652 to #10,146.
FAQ
Anderton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anderton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,472 living Americans carry the surname Anderton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,720 residents.
How common is Anderton?
Anderton ranks #10,146 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,028 people with the surname Anderton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,472), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Anderton.
Has Anderton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anderton went from 3,362 recorded bearers to 3,028. That is a decrease of 334 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,652 to #10,146.
What does the Census say about the background of Anderton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anderton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Anderton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anderton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (3.2%). 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 Anderton (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 Anderton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Andrew's town" or "farm belonging to Andrew" 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 Anderton (1.01 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 Anderton?
You can see how many people have the last name Anderton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.