2000
#4,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.01
Rare Last name
Belton
Derived from a place name meaning "farmstead or village in a belt of land," likely referring to a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,412 Americans carry the last name Belton. That puts it at #4,180 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,417 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belton 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 Belton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,417
Census rank
#4,180
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,208 bearers of the surname Belton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4180th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (27.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belton
The surname Belton is an English name that originated in the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from various places in England called Belton, such as those found in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Rutland. These place names are thought to have come from the Old English words "bel" meaning "bell" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "farmstead," suggesting a possible association with a bell-shaped hill or a settlement near a bell-shaped mound.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Belton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, which mentions a person named Robert de Belton. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Belton, such as William de Belton and John de Belton, residing in various parts of Lincolnshire.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not directly mention the surname Belton, but it does record the existence of places called Beltone, which may have been the precursors to the current place names and subsequent surnames.
In the 14th century, records show a William de Belton who held lands in Leicestershire. Another notable early bearer of the name was John Belton, born around 1430, who was a member of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York, England.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Belton became more widespread, with individuals bearing the name appearing in various parts of England. One notable figure was Robert Belton, born in 1517, who was a member of the Merchant Taylors' Company in London and served as an alderman of the city.
Another prominent individual with the surname Belton was Sir Edmund Belton, born in 1587, who was a member of the English Parliament and served as the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1628. He was knighted in 1616 by King James I.
In the 18th century, the surname Belton continued to be found in various parts of England, with individuals such as John Belton (1695-1767), a landowner and justice of the peace in Lincolnshire, and Reverend John Belton (1721-1789), a clergyman and author from Yorkshire.
The 19th century saw the surname Belton extend beyond England, with individuals bearing the name emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable figure from this era was John Belton (1823-1902), an English cricketer who played for the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belton
Among Census respondents with the surname Belton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (27.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Belton 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 Belton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.0% · 5,085
- White27.5% · 2,258
- Two or more races5.3% · 437
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 347
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belton
Belton 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
#3,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,041
+930 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Up 79 places
2020
#4,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,208
-833 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 241 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,018 | 8,111 | 3.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,939 | 9,041 | 3.06 | +930 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 79 places |
| 2020 | #4,180 | 8,208 | 2.75 | -833 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 241 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 Belton 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 | #3,939 | #4,180 | -6.1% |
| Count | 9,041 | 8,208 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.06 | 2.75 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belton bearers went from 9,041 to 8,208 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 241 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,939 to #4,180.
FAQ
Belton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belton?
Name Census estimates that about 9,412 living Americans carry the surname Belton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,417 residents.
How common is Belton?
Belton ranks #4,180 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,208 people with the surname Belton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,412), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Belton.
Has Belton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belton went from 9,041 recorded bearers to 8,208. That is a decrease of 833 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,939 to #4,180.
What does the Census say about the background of Belton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (27.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Belton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.0% (5,085 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (62.0%), White (27.5%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Belton (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 Belton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "farmstead or village in a belt of land," likely referring to a hill. 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 Belton (2.75 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 Belton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.