2000
#8,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Borton
Derived from a place name meaning "town or settlement by a fort or hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,307 Americans carry the last name Borton. That puts it at #10,602 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,645 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borton 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 Borton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,645
Census rank
#10,602
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,884 bearers of the surname Borton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10602nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borton
The surname Borton is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Boreton or Boreaton, which was located in Shropshire. The name itself is composed of two elements: "bore," meaning a small hill or mound, and "tun," meaning a farm or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Borton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a place called "Boretone," which is believed to be the origin of the surname.
In the 13th century, records show a John de Boreton, who was a landowner in Shropshire. This indicates that the name was well-established in the region by that time. Over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, such as Boreaton, Boreton, and Borton.
During the 16th century, the name Borton appeared in the records of the Church of St. Mary in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. One notable entry from 1560 mentions the marriage of Johanna Borton to Thomas Cliffe.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname Borton was John Borton, a Puritan minister who was born in Shropshire in 1617. He later emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and became a prominent figure in the establishment of the church in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Another notable individual with the surname Borton was Sir Arthur Borton (1668-1738), who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1725. He was a successful merchant and played a significant role in the city's governance during his tenure.
In the 18th century, the Borton family had a presence in Staffordshire, as evidenced by the birth records of William Borton (1746-1820) and his brother Thomas Borton (1748-1812), who were both born in the village of Eccleshall.
During the 19th century, the name Borton continued to be found in various parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in counties such as Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borton
Among Census respondents with the surname Borton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Borton 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 Borton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 2,595
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 98
- Two or more races3.2% · 93
- Black or African American2.1% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borton
Borton 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
#9,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,461
+88 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 473 places
2020
#10,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,884
-577 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 1,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,922 | 3,373 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,395 | 3,461 | 1.17 | +88 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 473 places |
| 2020 | #10,602 | 2,884 | 0.96 | -577 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 1,207 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 Borton 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 | #9,395 | #10,602 | -12.8% |
| Count | 3,461 | 2,884 | -16.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 0.96 | -17.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borton bearers went from 3,461 to 2,884 (-16.7% change). The surname moved down 1,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,395 to #10,602.
FAQ
Borton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,307 living Americans carry the surname Borton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,645 residents.
How common is Borton?
Borton ranks #10,602 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,884 people with the surname Borton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Borton.
Has Borton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borton went from 3,461 recorded bearers to 2,884. That is a decrease of 577 (-16.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,395 to #10,602.
What does the Census say about the background of Borton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Borton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Borton (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 Borton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "town or settlement by a fort or hill" in Old English. 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 Borton (0.96 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 Borton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.