2000
#5,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.39
Rare Last name
Atherton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Atherton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,318 Americans carry the last name Atherton. That puts it at #5,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Atherton 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 Atherton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,837
Census rank
#5,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,382 bearers of the surname Atherton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Atherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Atherton
The surname Atherton originates from England, specifically in the county of Lancashire. It is a locational name derived from the place name Atherton, a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. The name is believed to have originated in the Old English language, with "Atherton" meaning "the farmstead or village where oats were grown."
The earliest recorded mention of the name Atherton dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Atherton." This suggests that the name and the settlement were already well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, various records mention individuals with the surname Atherton, such as William de Atherton, who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. The prefix "de" in his name indicates a locational surname, linking him to the place of Atherton.
During the 14th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, "Atherton." In the Wigan Court Rolls of 1347, a Richard Atherton was mentioned as holding lands in the area.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Atherton was Sir William Atherton (c.1530-1610), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.
In the 17th century, John Atherton (1598-1640) gained recognition as an English Puritan clergyman and one of the earliest settlers of Dorchester, Massachusetts. He played a significant role in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Another prominent figure was James Atherton (1660-1738), a British lawyer and Whig politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Wigan and Newton.
In the 19th century, William Atherton (1775-1842) was a notable English poet and schoolmaster who published several works, including "The Fall of Nineveh" and "The Last Days of Herculaneum."
One of the most celebrated individuals with the Atherton surname was Gertrude Atherton (1857-1948), an American novelist and literary critic. She was a prolific writer and is best known for her novels depicting the social and cultural life of California in the late 19th century.
These examples illustrate the long history and prominence of the surname Atherton, which has its roots firmly planted in the English county of Lancashire and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Atherton
Among Census respondents with the surname Atherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Atherton 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 Atherton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 5,673
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 274
- Two or more races3.4% · 216
- Black or African American2.3% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Atherton
Atherton 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
#5,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,466
+31 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 382 places
2020
#5,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,382
-84 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,000 | 6,435 | 2.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,382 | 6,466 | 2.19 | +31 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 382 places |
| 2020 | #5,270 | 6,382 | 2.14 | -84 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 112 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 Atherton 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 | #5,382 | #5,270 | 2.1% |
| Count | 6,466 | 6,382 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.14 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Atherton bearers went from 6,466 to 6,382 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,382 to #5,270.
FAQ
Atherton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Atherton?
Name Census estimates that about 7,318 living Americans carry the surname Atherton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,837 residents.
How common is Atherton?
Atherton ranks #5,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.14 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 6,382 people with the surname Atherton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,318), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.14 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 Atherton.
Has Atherton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Atherton went from 6,466 recorded bearers to 6,382. That is a decrease of 84 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,382 to #5,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Atherton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Atherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Atherton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (5,673 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Atherton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Atherton (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 Atherton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Atherton in England. 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 Atherton (2.14 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 Atherton?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Atherton at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.