2000
#1,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,727
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.68
Uncommon Last name
Carlton
A locational surname referring to someone from Carlton, derived from Old English for "settlement of free peasants."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,030 Americans carry the last name Carlton. That puts it at #1,739 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,883 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carlton 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 Carlton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,883
Census rank
#1,739
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,083 bearers of the surname Carlton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1739th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlton
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carlton 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 Carlton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 15,441
- Black or African American13.8% · 2,771
- Two or more races4.2% · 837
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 762
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 132
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carlton
Carlton 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
#1,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,202
+475 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 7.19
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#1,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,083
-1,119 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 6.72
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,587 | 20,727 | 7.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,698 | 21,202 | 7.19 | +475 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #1,739 | 20,083 | 6.72 | -1,119 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 41 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 Carlton 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 | #1,698 | #1,739 | -2.4% |
| Count | 21,202 | 20,083 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.19 | 6.72 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carlton bearers went from 21,202 to 20,083 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,698 to #1,739.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carlton
FAQ
Carlton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carlton?
Name Census estimates that about 23,030 living Americans carry the surname Carlton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,883 residents.
How common is Carlton?
Carlton ranks #1,739 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,083 people with the surname Carlton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Carlton.
Has Carlton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carlton went from 21,202 recorded bearers to 20,083. That is a decrease of 1,119 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,698 to #1,739.
What does the Census say about the background of Carlton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Carlton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (15,441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carlton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Carlton (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 Carlton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Carlton, derived from Old English for "settlement of free peasants." 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 Carlton (6.72 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 have the last name Carlton?
Find out how many people have the last name Carlton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.