2000
#9,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,324
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Byington
Derived from a place name meaning "town of Bega's people" in Old English, referring to an early settler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,764 Americans carry the last name Byington. That puts it at #9,478 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Byington 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.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,061
Census rank
#9,478
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,282 bearers of the surname Byington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9478th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Byington, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Byington
The surname Byington has its origins in England, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "by" meaning a town or village, and "inga" referring to the people or inhabitants. This suggests that the name may have been used to identify individuals from a particular settlement or locality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de Byington." This spelling variation suggests that the name was initially associated with a place called Byington, possibly a small village or hamlet.
In the 14th century, the name was documented in various forms, including "Biington," "Byyngton," and "Byyngeton." These variations reflect the fluidity of spelling practices during that period, as well as regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
The Byington surname has also been linked to several place names across England. For example, there are records of a village called Byington in Herefordshire, which may have contributed to the name's development. Additionally, the name may have connections to Bynington in Worcestershire and Bynington in Northamptonshire.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Byington surname throughout history are:
1. John Byington (c. 1540-1596), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works.
2. Ezra Hoyt Byington (1828-1914), an American Protestant missionary and linguist who worked among the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma.
3. Cyrus Byington (1793-1868), an American clergyman and educator who founded several schools in Ohio and Indiana.
4. Lewis Byington (1798-1846), an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Connecticut General Assembly.
5. Stevyn Byington (c. 1455-1518), an English merchant and landowner who held properties in Essex and Suffolk.
The Byington surname has a rich historical background, originating from the early English settlements and evolving over centuries. Its various spellings and associations with different locations reflect the diverse and evolving nature of surnames in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byington
Among Census respondents with the surname Byington, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Byington 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 Byington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 2,904
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 130
- Two or more races3.7% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.0% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Byington
Byington 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
#9,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,463
+139 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 352 places
2020
#9,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,282
-181 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,041 | 3,324 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,393 | 3,463 | 1.17 | +139 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 352 places |
| 2020 | #9,478 | 3,282 | 1.10 | -181 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 85 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 Byington 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 | #9,393 | #9,478 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,463 | 3,282 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.10 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Byington bearers went from 3,463 to 3,282 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,393 to #9,478.
FAQ
Byington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Byington?
Name Census estimates that about 3,764 living Americans carry the surname Byington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,061 residents.
How common is Byington?
Byington ranks #9,478 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,282 people with the surname Byington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Byington.
Has Byington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Byington went from 3,463 recorded bearers to 3,282. That is a decrease of 181 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,393 to #9,478.
What does the Census say about the background of Byington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Byington, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Byington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (2,904 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Byington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Byington (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 Byington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "town of Bega's people" in Old English, referring to an early settler. 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 Byington (1.10 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 Americans have the surname Byington?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.