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

Charlton, 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 Charlton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Charlton in America

Charlton is the 3383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Charlton surname appeared 10,555 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Charlton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Charlton 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 Charlton

The surname Charlton is of English origin and derives from the Old English words 'ceorl' meaning a freeman, and 'tun' meaning an enclosure or settlement. It first emerged as a locational name for someone who lived in the town of Charlton.

Charlton is found in various parts of England, such as Charlton in Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Kent. The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Cerlentone' and 'Certone' in Wiltshire, and 'Cerletone' in Berkshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Charlton is Walter de Cherletun, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190. Another early record is that of William de Cherleton, who is listed in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.

Charlton became a prominent name in various parts of England, and several notable individuals bore this surname throughout history. Sir Robert Charlton (c. 1543-1628) was a wealthy English landowner and Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby. Sir Job Charlton (1614-1692) was an English judge and Speaker of the House of Commons.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Charlton surname is that of Robert Charlton, who was born in England and settled in Virginia in the 17th century. He served as a burgess in the Virginia House of Burgesses in the 1650s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Charlton include: John Charlton (1785-1854), an English naturalist and author; Henry Charlton (1834-1904), an English cricketer; Walter Charlton (1554-1617), an English Catholic priest and martyr; and Guy Charlton (born 1939), an English actor best known for his role in the television series 'Howards' Way'.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Charlton

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

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

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

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