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

Charleston, 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 Charleston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Charleston in America

Charleston is the 9695th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Charleston surname appeared 3,346 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Charleston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Charleston 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 Charleston

The surname Charleston originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words 'cealc' meaning chalk and 'tun' meaning settlement or enclosure, referring to a chalky area or a settlement near chalk hills. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Chalketon in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Chalketon, Chalkton, Chalktoun, and eventually Charleston. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Chalketon, a landowner mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1194.

The Charleston surname is also associated with the city of Charleston, South Carolina, which was founded in 1670 and named after King Charles II of England. However, the city's name and the surname are not directly related, as the surname predates the establishment of the city.

Notable individuals with the surname Charleston include:

1. Thomas Charleston (c. 1370-1445), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Kent in the early 15th century.
2. John Charleston (c. 1550-1615), an English explorer and navigator who was part of the expedition that discovered the island of Bermuda in 1609.
3. Anne Charleston (1663-1728), an English poet and writer known for her work "The Ladies' Calling," which advocated for the education of women.
4. Robert Charleston (1810-1885), an American politician who served as the 11th Governor of West Virginia from 1869 to 1873.
5. Dorothy Charleston (1888-1973), an English actress and singer who appeared in various plays and musicals in the early 20th century.

The Charleston surname has a rich history rooted in the medieval English landscape, and its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Charleston

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

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 Charleston 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 Charleston 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 Charleston was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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