2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Blackton
A locational surname derived from a place named Blackton, likely referring to a settlement with dark or black soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Blackton. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blackton 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 Blackton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Blackton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blackton
The surname Blackton is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in Britain. It is a toponymic name, derived from a place name referring to a specific location or settlement. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear to be from the county of Yorkshire, where it is believed to have originated.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Blacton, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297. This historical record provides evidence that the name was in use during the late 13th century in the northern regions of England. The prefix "de" in his name indicates a connection to a particular place or locality.
The name Blackton is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "blæc" and "tun," meaning "black" and "town" or "settlement," respectively. This suggests that the name may have been derived from a location known for its dark soil or perhaps a settlement with a predominance of dark-colored buildings or structures.
In the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are references to several places that could potentially be the source of the Blackton surname. These include Blaketon (now Blacktoft) in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and Blachestone (now Blakiston) in Durham.
One notable bearer of the Blackton surname was Sir William de Blacton, a 14th-century knight from Yorkshire who served as a member of the retinue of Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France. Records indicate that he participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Siege of Calais in 1347.
Another prominent figure was John Blackton, a 16th-century English landowner and Justice of the Peace from Yorkshire, who lived from approximately 1520 to 1598. He was known for his involvement in local affairs and maintaining law and order in the region.
In the 17th century, the name was also associated with the Blackton family of Westmorland, a county in the north-west of England. This branch of the family produced several notable individuals, including Thomas Blackton (1622-1687), a prominent clergyman and rector of Morland parish.
Other historical figures bearing the Blackton surname include William Blackton (1770-1842), an English painter and engraver renowned for his landscape works, and Elizabeth Blackton (1828-1912), a British writer and educator who published several books on education and children's literature.
While the name Blackton has its origins in the northern regions of England, particularly Yorkshire and the surrounding areas, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by individuals and families who migrated or relocated over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blackton
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blackton 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 Blackton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blackton
Blackton 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,469 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-18 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 16,469 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 13,897 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 Blackton 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 | #142,108 | #156,005 | -9.8% |
| Count | 117 | 99 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blackton bearers went from 117 to 99 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 13,897 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #156,005.
FAQ
Blackton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blackton?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Blackton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Blackton?
Blackton ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Blackton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Blackton.
Has Blackton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blackton went from 117 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Blackton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. 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 Blackton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blackton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), 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 Blackton (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 Blackton mean?
A locational surname derived from a place named Blackton, likely referring to a settlement with dark or black soil. 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 Blackton (0.03 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 have the surname Blackton?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.