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

Chatterton, 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 Chatterton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chatterton in America

Chatterton is the 13195th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chatterton surname appeared 2,316 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 Chatterton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chatterton 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 Chatterton

The surname Chatterton originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "ceatera" meaning a fort or encampment, and "tun" meaning a town or village. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a fortified town or settlement.

The name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Chaterton" and "Chatretun" in Somerset and Gloucestershire respectively. This suggests the name was well-established in the southwestern regions of England by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Walter de Chaterton, who lived in Somerset during the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272). The village of Chatterton in Wiltshire is also believed to have derived its name from this surname.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Chatertown, Chaterdon, and Chatterton. Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770), an English poet and forger of pseudo-antique poetry, is perhaps the most famous individual with this surname.

Other notable people with the surname Chatterton include:

1. Edward Chatterton (1654-1728), an English portrait painter.
2. James Chatterton (1803-1858), an English-born Australian politician and businessman.
3. Eyre Chatterton (1863-1950), an English naval officer and writer.
4. Frederic Chatterton (1873-1952), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire.
5. Michael Chatterton (born 1952), an English actor known for his roles in television series like Midsomer Murders.

The Chatterton surname has been widely distributed across England, with significant populations found in counties like Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Devon, reflecting its southwestern origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chatterton

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

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

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

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