2000
#8,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,743
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Aston
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,309 Americans carry the last name Aston. That puts it at #8,435 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aston 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 Aston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,544
Census rank
#8,435
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,758 bearers of the surname Aston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8435th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aston, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aston
The surname Aston has its origins in England, and it can be traced back to the early medieval period. The name is derived from the Old English words "east" and "tun," meaning "east town" or "eastern estate." This suggests that the name was likely given to people who lived in villages or settlements located to the east of a larger town or landmark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Estone" or "Estone." This comprehensive survey of land ownership in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror, mentions several places with the name Aston, indicating that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.
The Aston surname is closely tied to various place names in England, such as Aston in Oxfordshire, Aston in Shropshire, and Aston-on-Trent in Derbyshire. These place names, and their variations like Estone and Estone, likely gave rise to the surname as people adopted the names of their places of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Aston was Sir Roger Aston (c. 1285 - c. 1345), a nobleman and landowner from Staffordshire. He served as a knight in the armies of Edward I and Edward II during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Another notable figure with this surname was Sir Arthur Aston (c. 1590 - 1649), an English royalist soldier who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War. He was killed during the Battle of Drogheda in Ireland while defending the town against the Parliamentarian forces led by Oliver Cromwell.
In the literary world, the name Aston is associated with Walter Aston (c. 1583 - 1639), an English writer and translator who is best known for his translations of Spanish poetry and plays into English.
Sir Thomas Aston (c. 1600 - 1645) was a prominent English politician and royalist during the English Civil War. He served as the Baron of Forfar in the Scottish peerage and fought for King Charles I, ultimately being captured and executed by the Parliamentarians.
Finally, Walter Hutchinson Aston (1845 - 1901) was a British diplomat and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Japanese language and culture. He served as a British consul in Japan and published several works on Japanese grammar and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aston
Among Census respondents with the surname Aston, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Aston 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 Aston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 3,282
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 150
- Two or more races4.0% · 149
- Black or African American3.9% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aston
Aston 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
#8,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,937
+194 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#8,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,758
-179 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,154 | 3,743 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,402 | 3,937 | 1.33 | +194 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #8,435 | 3,758 | 1.26 | -179 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 33 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 Aston 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 | #8,402 | #8,435 | -0.4% |
| Count | 3,937 | 3,758 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.26 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aston bearers went from 3,937 to 3,758 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,402 to #8,435.
FAQ
Aston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aston?
Name Census estimates that about 4,309 living Americans carry the surname Aston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,544 residents.
How common is Aston?
Aston ranks #8,435 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,758 people with the surname Aston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,309), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Aston.
Has Aston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aston went from 3,937 recorded bearers to 3,758. That is a decrease of 179 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,402 to #8,435.
What does the Census say about the background of Aston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aston, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Aston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (3,282 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (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 Aston (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 Aston mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "east town" 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 Aston (1.26 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 common is the surname Aston?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Aston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.