2000
#10,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Batton
Derived from a place name meaning "Batta's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement associated with an individual named Batta.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,003 Americans carry the last name Batton. That puts it at #11,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,137 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Batton 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 Batton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,137
Census rank
#11,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,619 bearers of the surname Batton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Batton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Batton
The surname Batton has its origins in England, where it is believed to have emerged sometime during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bat," meaning "boat," suggesting that it may have originally referred to someone who worked on boats or lived near a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Batton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a certain William Batton is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 12th century.
During the 13th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals named Batton in places like Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire. One notable figure from this period was Sir John Batton, a knight who fought in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 during the Second Barons' War.
The surname Batton has also been linked to several place names in England, including Batton's Green in Buckinghamshire and Batton's Farm in Wiltshire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Batton surname, or the surname itself may have derived from these place names.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, where a John Batton is listed as a taxpayer in 1327. During this time, the spelling of the name varied, with variations such as Baton, Battan, and Batten being recorded.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Batton was Sir William Batton, a Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Southwark in the late 15th century (born around 1450, died in 1515).
Other notable figures with the surname Batton include:
1. Thomas Batton, an English clergyman and writer who lived in the 16th century (born around 1530, died in 1598).
2. Edward Batton, a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War (born in 1745, date of death unknown).
3. Henry Batton, an English architect and surveyor who was active in the 18th century (born in 1720, died in 1799).
4. Charles Batton, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars (born in 1785, died in 1858).
While the surname Batton is not among the most common in England today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including knights, clergymen, soldiers, architects, and naval officers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Batton
Among Census respondents with the surname Batton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Batton 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 Batton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 1,898
- Black or African American18.0% · 472
- Two or more races4.9% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Batton
Batton 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
#10,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,913
+212 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#11,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,619
-294 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 570 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,831 | 2,701 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,924 | 2,913 | 0.99 | +212 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #11,494 | 2,619 | 0.88 | -294 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 570 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 Batton 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 | #10,924 | #11,494 | -5.2% |
| Count | 2,913 | 2,619 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.88 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Batton bearers went from 2,913 to 2,619 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 570 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,924 to #11,494.
FAQ
Batton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Batton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,003 living Americans carry the surname Batton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,137 residents.
How common is Batton?
Batton ranks #11,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,619 people with the surname Batton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Batton.
Has Batton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Batton went from 2,913 recorded bearers to 2,619. That is a decrease of 294 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,924 to #11,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Batton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Batton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Batton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (1,898 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Batton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Batton (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 Batton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Batta's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement associated with an individual named Batta. 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 Batton (0.88 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 Batton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.