Find out how popular the last name Carlton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Carlton.

Carlton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Carlton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carlton in America

Carlton is the 1698th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carlton surname appeared 21,202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Carlton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carlton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Carlton

The surname Carlton originated in England. It is a habitational name derived from any of several places named Carlton, which means "the settlement or farm of the free peasants" in Old English. The name comes from the Old English words "cær" meaning free peasant, and "tun" meaning settlement or farm.

Carlton is an old surname that can be traced back to the 11th century. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists landowners and tenants in England after the Norman conquest. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include William de Carlton, mentioned in records from Yorkshire in 1166, and Ranulph de Carlton, recorded in Oxfordshire in 1273.

Over the centuries, the surname Carlton has been spelled in various ways, including Carleton, Carylton, and Charlton. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Dudley Carlton (1573-1631), an English diplomat and courtier who served as Ambassador to the Netherlands and Venice during the reign of King James I.

Another prominent figure was Guy Carlton (1605-1685), an English Puritan minister and writer who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and later became the minister of the First Church in Boston.

Sir Guy Carleton (1724-1808), later known as Lord Dorchester, was a British Army officer who served as the Governor of Quebec during the American Revolutionary War. He played a significant role in the defense of Canada against the Continental Army's invasion attempts.

George Carlton (1796-1870) was an English industrialist who founded the Carlton Club, a famous gentlemen's club in London that became a gathering place for members of the Conservative Party.

Arthur Carlton (1833-1905) was a British architect best known for designing the Carlton Hotel in London, one of the most prestigious hotels in the city, which opened in 1899.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carlton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Carlton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Carlton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Carlton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Carlton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Carlton, please contact us.

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