2000
#13,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Calton
Derived from a place name meaning "the town of Ceola's people" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,485 Americans carry the last name Calton. That puts it at #13,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calton 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 Calton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,929
Census rank
#13,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,167 bearers of the surname Calton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calton
The surname Calton is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the place name "Calton" or "Caulton," which are small villages or hamlets located in various regions across England, such as Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and Norfolk.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Calton, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292. This record provides evidence of the name's existence in the late 13th century and its connection to the village of Calton in Staffordshire.
The name Calton is believed to have originated from the Old English words "cald" or "cald-tun," which translates to "cold town" or "cold farmstead." This suggests that the original settlements or villages bearing the name Calton were likely situated in areas with a colder climate or exposed to harsh weather conditions.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Caulton, Cauleton, and Caltone, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common during that period. One notable individual from this time was John de Caulton, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The Calton surname can also be traced back to Scotland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers or through intermarriage. In the 16th century, the name appeared in Scottish records, such as the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, which mentions Robert Caltoun in 1584.
Other historical figures bearing the Calton surname include:
1. Sir Thomas Calton (c. 1570-1640), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire.
2. Richard Calton (c. 1600-1675), an English merchant and colonist who settled in Virginia and was involved in the tobacco trade.
3. James Calton (1723-1796), a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of human anatomy and physiology.
4. William Calton (1810-1873), an English architect and surveyor known for his work on various churches and public buildings in London.
5. John Calton (1877-1951), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Manchester Ardwick from 1918 to 1931.
While the surname Calton has its roots in England and Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage, with bearers of the name found in various countries and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calton
Among Census respondents with the surname Calton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Calton 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 Calton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 1,679
- Black or African American12.9% · 280
- Two or more races5.1% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calton
Calton 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
#12,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
+304 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 450 places
2020
#13,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,167
-289 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,052 | 2,152 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,602 | 2,456 | 0.83 | +304 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 450 places |
| 2020 | #13,438 | 2,167 | 0.72 | -289 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 836 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 Calton 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 | #12,602 | #13,438 | -6.6% |
| Count | 2,456 | 2,167 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.72 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calton bearers went from 2,456 to 2,167 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 836 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,602 to #13,438.
FAQ
Calton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,485 living Americans carry the surname Calton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,929 residents.
How common is Calton?
Calton ranks #13,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,167 people with the surname Calton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Calton.
Has Calton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calton went from 2,456 recorded bearers to 2,167. That is a decrease of 289 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,602 to #13,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Calton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Calton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (1,679 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Calton (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 Calton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the town of Ceola's people" 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 Calton (0.72 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 Calton?
Find out how many people have the last name Calton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.