2000
#7,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,259
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Beaton
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place near Inverness or from the Gaelic word meaning "life."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,893 Americans carry the last name Beaton. That puts it at #7,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beaton 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 Beaton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,050
Census rank
#7,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,267 bearers of the surname Beaton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beaton
The surname Beaton has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic name "Beathán" or "Beatton," which means "life" or "vigor." The name was particularly prominent in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the counties of Inverness and Nairn.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Bethon" in these records.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Beatons were an influential family in the Western Isles of Scotland. They served as physicians and advisors to the Lords of the Isles, a powerful clan that held significant power in the region.
A notable member of the Beaton family was James Beaton (c. 1473-1539), who served as Archbishop of St Andrews and Lord Chancellor of Scotland. He played a prominent role in the political and religious affairs of Scotland during the reign of King James V.
Another noteworthy figure was David Beaton (1494-1546), who succeeded his uncle James as Archbishop of St Andrews. He was a staunch opponent of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and was eventually assassinated by a group of Protestant reformers.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Beaton family settled in France, where they became known as the Béton family. One member, Robert Béton (c. 1580-1640), was a renowned architect and engineer who worked on several significant projects, including the construction of the Luxembourg Palace in Paris.
The Beaton surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Beaton's Mill in Inverness-shire and Beaton's Burn in Nairn. Additionally, there are alternative spellings of the name, including Beaton, Betton, and Beton.
Other notable individuals with the surname Beaton throughout history include:
1. Ewan Beaton (1876-1913), a Scottish-Canadian poet and journalist.
2. Joseph Beaton (1909-1996), a Canadian painter and artist known for his landscape paintings.
3. William Beaton (1898-1989), a Scottish writer and journalist who wrote extensively about the Highlands.
4. Roderick Beaton (born 1949), a Scottish scholar and writer who has published works on Greek literature and culture.
5. Mary Anne Beaton (1835-1919), a Scottish-Canadian author and educator who wrote about the experiences of Scottish immigrants in Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beaton
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Beaton 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 Beaton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 3,252
- Black or African American12.5% · 532
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 328
- Two or more races2.8% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beaton
Beaton 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
#7,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,462
+203 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 246 places
2020
#7,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,267
-195 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,222 | 4,259 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,468 | 4,462 | 1.51 | +203 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 246 places |
| 2020 | #7,521 | 4,267 | 1.43 | -195 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 53 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 Beaton 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 | #7,468 | #7,521 | -0.7% |
| Count | 4,462 | 4,267 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.43 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beaton bearers went from 4,462 to 4,267 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,468 to #7,521.
FAQ
Beaton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beaton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,893 living Americans carry the surname Beaton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,050 residents.
How common is Beaton?
Beaton ranks #7,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,267 people with the surname Beaton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,893), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Beaton.
Has Beaton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beaton went from 4,462 recorded bearers to 4,267. That is a decrease of 195 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,468 to #7,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Beaton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (7.7%). 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 Beaton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (3,252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beaton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (12.5%), Hispanic (7.7%). 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 Beaton (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 Beaton mean?
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place near Inverness or from the Gaelic word meaning "life." 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 Beaton (1.43 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 Beaton?
You can see how common the surname Beaton is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.