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

Chilton, 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 Chilton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chilton in America

Chilton is the 5551st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chilton surname appeared 6,263 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Chilton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chilton 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 Chilton

The surname Chilton is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from any of several places called Chilton, found in various counties across England, such as Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Suffolk. The name is a combination of the Old English words "cild" meaning "child" and "tun" meaning "town" or "settlement", suggesting it was originally a place inhabited by children or young people.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chilton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Cilitone" in Buckinghamshire. This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides a comprehensive record of landholdings and settlements throughout England at the time.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Roger de Chilton, a knight from Oxfordshire who fought in the Crusades. He is recorded in the Roll of Arms of the 13th century, a collection of heraldic arms used by knights and nobles during that period.

Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Chilton (c.1500-1566), a Member of Parliament for Devizes in Wiltshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a role in the establishment of the Church of England and was a prominent landowner in the region.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Chelton, Chylton, and Chillington. One such individual was John Chilton (1614-1692), an English Puritan minister and author who emigrated to New England and served as a pastor in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Moving into the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was James Chilton (1723-1796), an English engraver and artist known for his landscape and architectural etchings. His works documented many historical buildings and sites in England during that era.

As the name spread across different parts of England, it also became associated with various place names, such as Chilton Candover in Hampshire, Chilton Polden in Somerset, and Chilton Trinity in Bridgwater, Somerset.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chilton

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

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

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

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