2000
#12,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,265
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Cayton
A locational surname derived from a place name in Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a settlement or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,639 Americans carry the last name Cayton. That puts it at #12,784 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,880 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cayton 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 Cayton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 129,880
Census rank
#12,784
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,301 bearers of the surname Cayton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12784th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cayton
The surname Cayton is believed to have originated in England, deriving from a location name. It is thought to be a habitational name, meaning it referred to someone who lived in a particular place. The name is likely derived from the Old English words "cae" (meaning key) and "tun" (meaning enclosure or village), suggesting it may have originally referred to a village or settlement with a key-shaped enclosure or boundary.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cayton surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Caitun" in Yorkshire. This suggests the name was already established in that region by the late 11th century. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Cayton.
The surname is also associated with the village of Cayton in North Yorkshire, England, which likely took its name from the same Old English roots. This village is mentioned in historical records dating back to the 12th century, further solidifying the antiquity of the name.
Among notable individuals with the Cayton surname, one of the earliest was Robert de Cayton, a landowner in Yorkshire who lived in the late 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was John Cayton, a merchant and burgess (a member of a medieval town council) in York in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, a Cayton family was prominent in Yorkshire, with members holding positions of importance in the local community. One such individual was William Cayton (c. 1530-1598), who served as a justice of the peace and was involved in local governance.
Moving forward in time, Horace Roscoe Cayton (1903-1970) was an American sociologist and author, known for his work on the Black Metropolis, a study of the African American community in Chicago in the mid-20th century.
Another notable figure was Andrew Cayton (1737-1801), an American Revolutionary War soldier and pioneer who settled in what is now Ohio, where he became a prominent landowner and community leader.
Overall, the surname Cayton has a rich history rooted in England, particularly in Yorkshire, and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cayton
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cayton 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 Cayton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 1,824
- Black or African American6.2% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.9% · 136
- Two or more races4.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cayton
Cayton 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
#12,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,413
+148 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#12,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,301
-112 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,549 | 2,265 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,785 | 2,413 | 0.82 | +148 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #12,784 | 2,301 | 0.77 | -112 bearers (-4.6%) | Up 1 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 Cayton 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 | #12,785 | #12,784 | 0.0% |
| Count | 2,413 | 2,301 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cayton bearers went from 2,413 to 2,301 (-4.6% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,785 to #12,784.
FAQ
Cayton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cayton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,639 living Americans carry the surname Cayton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,880 residents.
How common is Cayton?
Cayton ranks #12,784 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,301 people with the surname Cayton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,639), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Cayton.
Has Cayton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cayton went from 2,413 recorded bearers to 2,301. That is a decrease of 112 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,785 to #12,784.
What does the Census say about the background of Cayton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%). 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 Cayton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (1,824 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cayton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Black (6.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%). 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 Cayton (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 Cayton mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a settlement or town. 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 Cayton (0.77 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 Cayton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.